Feedback – is it really the breakfast of Champions?

It’s certainly important to us at the NHS Transformation Unit (TU). As an organisation that embeds a continuous improvement approach, we recognise that through a good feedback process, we can improve the work that we do and the products that we deliver. It’s a crucial factor in our success as an organisation and supports our desire to continuously improve. We aim to collect feedback from 100% of the clients that we work with. And we want our clients to not just be satisfied – we want them to be impressed with the work that we do.

Why is client feedback important to us?

At the TU we have a robust process for obtaining feedback to support development of our approaches and ways of working. It also serves as a measure of our performance. By actively engaging with and acting upon client feedback, we enhance the quality of the services we provide, strengthen relationships with our client partners, and ultimately improve patient care.

How do we obtain client feedback?

At the TU we make a commitment to all our clients to deliver quality and value and we use both qualitative and quantitative methods to obtain feedback on our work.

We recognise the immense value of having timely conversations with our clients so they can reflect more broadly on our work, explore with us what has gone well, what could be improved, and to understand what they value about our delivery. This qualitative feedback provides us with rich insight and allows our clients the opportunity to talk openly about their experience of working with us. We aim to have at least one client feedback conversation before the end of every contract. For longer engagements we often have regular review points, which allows us to really understand and act upon feedback during the project.

As part of our project close-out process, we also seek quantitative feedback from our clients via the ML Feedback System which uses ‘net promotor scores’ for clients to rate our delivery. This also allows clients to provide context, having the benefit of having time to reflect, and cover areas for improvement they may feel more comfortable providing digitally.

We launched the formal client feedback process in April 2023, and it has been well utilised since. This approach gives us an overall view on the quality of our delivery and helps us continually improve.

We have seen a steady increase in both the number of requests sent and the numbers received back from our clients.

How do we use the feedback we receive?

The client feedback we receive is important to us and helps us in the following areas:

Improving Quality: Feedback tells us what we are doing well and where we can do better. This allows us to refine our approaches, methodologies, and strategies to better meet the needs of our clients.

Client Satisfaction: Feedback shows if clients are happy with the work. Happy clients are more likely to continue to collaborate with us and recommend us to others, contributing to our reputation and success.

Tailoring Services: Feedback helps us to tailor our services to better align with the specific needs and requirements of our clients. Understanding the unique challenges, priorities and goals of each client enables us to customise our approaches and solutions accordingly leading to more effective outcomes.

Identifying Issues Early: Feedback helps us catch any issues early on, so we can fix them before they become big problems that could jeopardise the success of the project. Open communication with clients fosters a collaborative environment where challenges can be openly discussed and resolved.

Building Trust: Listening to feedback shows our clients that at the TU we are driven to do the best job that we can, and we are committed to continuous improvement. This proactive approach builds trust and credibility with clients, as it shows that we value their input and are dedicated to delivering high-quality results. Trust is essential for maintaining long-term relationships with clients and securing future opportunities.

Learning and Growing: Client feedback provides us with valuable learning opportunities. By reflecting on client experiences and outcomes, we can gain valuable insights into our own performance, strengths, and areas for growth. This feedback-driven learning process enables us to enhance our skills, knowledge, and expertise over time, ultimately improving the quality of our services.

In conclusion…

So, to answer the question – yes – feedback is the breakfast of champions, we believe that client feedback is instrumental at the TU in enhancing our delivery, improving the way in which we work with customers as well as the products that we produce, it drives quality improvement. By incorporating client feedback into our delivery, we can work together with our clients and partners to continuously improve patient care and outcomes.

Here, are some examples of the feedback we have received recently: