Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ

Status:

Information for action.

Category:

Quality, safety and experience.

Title:

People’s experience framework and people’s experience survey.

Date of expiry / review:

This Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ health circular will remain applicable until replaced by next iteration in 2028.

Required by:

April 2025.

Action by:

• chief executives, health boards/trusts
• directors of public health, health boards/trusts
• medical directors, health boards/trusts
• directors of primary care, health boards/trusts
• nurse executive directors, health boards/trusts
• directors of therapies and health sciences, health boards/trusts
• chief pharmacists, health boards/trusts
• Executive Director of Public Health, Public Health Wales
• general practitioners, dental practices and community pharmacies

For information:

• Director General / Chief Executive, Health, Social Care and Early Years Group (HSCEY)
• NHS Wales Deputy Chief Executive (HSCEY)
• Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ NHS Partnership Forum
• General Practitioner Council, Wales
• Royal College of GPs
• Royal College of Nursing
• Royal College of Midwives
• Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
• British Dental Association
• Royal Pharmaceutical Society
• Community Pharmacy Wales
• Care Inspectorate Wales
• Healthcare Inspectorate Wales

Sender:

• Sue Tranka, Chief Nursing Officer, Nurse Director NHS Wales
• Richard Desir, Nursing Officer Patient Experience

Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖcontacts:

Quality and Nursing,
Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ Government,
Cathays Park,
Cardiff.
CF10 3NQ.
QualityAndNursing@gov.wales

Enclosures:

• NHS Wales People’s Experience Framework
• NHS Wales Peoples Experience Survey

Overview

The current framework for assuring service user experience, initially issued in 2013 and updated in 2015 and 2018, is part of a national approach to enhance patient satisfaction and healthcare delivery. This framework initially included a set of bilingual core Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs), designed to capture real-time feedback on healthcare experiences.

People’s experience evolution and renaming

With the aim of making the framework more inclusive and understandable, it has been renamed and refreshed as ‘the people’s experience framework’. This change follows extensive engagement with third-sector organisations, Llais, and NHS bodies. The updated language now recognises that people interact with NHS Wales services beyond the traditional definitions of "patient" or "service user".

Components of the framework

The people’s experience framework has been expanded to include a comprehensive set of tools and measures aimed at evaluating and enhancing the quality of health services. Key components include:

• complaints
• compliments
• stories
• incidents
• national and local people’s experience (longitudinal) surveys
• People’s Experience Survey (PES)
• lived experience/people’s groups
• staff experiences
• equality

The framework advocates the adoption of an always-on approach to experience using both active and passive methodologies. This places people at the forefront by enabling experiences to be left at a time and location most convenient to the person.

The local self-assessment tool

An important enhancement to the framework is the 'local self-assessment tool', which enables organisations to assess their individual status and maturity, devise ambitious improvement strategies and plans, and ensure continuous learning. This tool ensures that all aspects of the people's experience umbrella are comprehensively covered.

Adaptations post COVID-19 and legislative changes

The framework has been updated to reflect changes in service provision post-COVID-19 pandemic and recent legislative changes. It aligns clearly with the domains of the health and care quality standards 2023 (WHC/2023/013) | GOV.WALES, ensuring that it remains relevant and effective.

People’s Experience Survey (PES) and renaming

The national set of bilingual validated core questions and measures, previously known as PREMs, has also been refreshed and renamed as the People’s Experience Survey (PES). This new survey has been rigorously tested and validated across all health settings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered profound changes in the way healthcare services are provided across Wales. The Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖand NHS bodies have recognised that these changes have significantly impacted the way people access and use health services, which in turn affects their experiences. Consequently, it has become essential to ensure that a national core question set continues to reflect the most pertinent questions across the diverse range of health settings and diverse population groups. This includes not only planned and emergency care but, for the first time: primary care, maternity, mental health and learning disability settings as well.

Next steps

Since Autumn 2024, the NHS Executive and the Once for Wales Team have established a National Patient Experience Survey Task and Finish Group to guide and support NHS Wales and professionals to assist with the transition and preparation for the formal ‘go live’ of the people’s experience framework and people’s experience survey in April 2025. This initiative marks a significant step forward in enhancing the care and engagement of people across NHS Wales.

Support for organisations

Organisations across NHS Wales will continue to receive support during this transition phase. The aim is to ensure that stakeholders are well-prepared and confident in implementing the new framework and survey effectively. This includes access to resources including languages other than English and Îʶ¦ÓéÀÖ; easy read and British Sign Language and guidance to address any concerns or challenges that may arise.

People preparedness

The NHS Executive will collaborate with Llais to facilitate public interaction and engagement. It is essential to include public readiness and social adaptation in this new approach.

Conclusion

NHS Wales has long recognised experience as a quality and safety measure as reflected in the assuring service user experience framework and PREMs, originally launched in 2013. The recent updates and renaming to the people’s experience framework and people’s experience survey mark an important step towards a more inclusive approach, in recognition of the diversity of the population, ensuring it meets the evolving needs of all people using NHS Wales services and facilitating consistent quality engagement and always-on reporting.

Yours sincerely
Sue Tranka
Chief Nursing Officer, Nurse Director NHS Wales.