Using customer feedback to improve our services

This year for the first time, we have launched a detailed report outlining the feedback we have received from customers throughout the year (FY2019/20). I'm really pleased to share this information more widely and highlight how we're performing - both the good and the areas for improvement. 

Patients’ experience of the NHS is informed by the care they receive and the dedicated people they encounter as part of the NHS. It’s also informed by the places where services are delivered and the safe, sustainable environments that NHS Property Services is responsible for.

Our customers and their communities operate from over 3000 NHS Property Services buildings across the country, serving 12 percent of the primary care estate. NHS Property Services is committed to supporting the NHS and the delivery of the Long Term Plan and our new Customer Charter and strategy reflect our commitment to enabling our customers to deliver excellent patient care.

To help improve how we deliver our services, we track and measure inbound contact such as requests and queries, complaints and compliments, as well as how we deliver in key projects. Doing this allows us to continuously look at how we can improve our services and there are many examples of where customers have given us feedback and we have been able to act upon this in the report.

Our customers tell us about our people delivering day-in-day-out, as well as stories of people going above and beyond, especially in recent circumstances. We have kick started a national campaign to recognise work of many of the ‘hidden heroes’ across the whole of the NHS. They are often in behind-the-scenes roles, keeping services running so medical staff can do their job. We also know that things don’t always go right and I’m keen to hear more about these instances so we can make our services better.

Knowing how our customers experience services helps us to address underlying issues. Not every issue is a complaint; but this is an important recourse in some cases. It’s an easy process to complain to us using our online form and we take every case seriously.

At the heart of all of this is the Customer Support Centre. The team are able to help you find the information you need, whatever your query. We also have our FM helpdesk who manage thousands of facilities jobs every week up and down the country, accessible directly to customers and easy to raise a job with us online. 

We also have a dedicated Customer Insight team who are responsible for the management, facilitation and collation of all customer feedback received by NHS Property Services, all working to drive forward improvements across the customer experience. NHSPS has come a long way since our beginnings as an organisation and our improved customer satisfaction score shows this.

However, we know there is still so much more to do to get to where our customers and we want to be. Your feedback is vital to help shape how we deliver services, both now and in the future and so I can only encourage you to get in touch if you have something to share - Customer Support Centre on 0800 085 3015 or customer.service@ property.nhs.uk.