What matters to you?

It may seem a strange question to ask, yet I believe it is the first and most fundamental question we should ask our patients and team members. If we don’t ask, how can we ever know? What if the answer holds the key to changing the care that we deliver, or how we operate as a team?

I have had the upmost privilege to work alongside Tommy Whitelaw from Person Centred Voices and the Healthcare Improvement Scotland team working on what has become the ‘What Matters to You’ movement in Scotland over the past two years. There is no doubt that after listening to Tommy’s very personal account, it is imperative that we deliver healthcare in a kind, compassionate person-centred way. But it shouldn’t just stop with our interactions with patients and relatives; it should be a fundamental part of our daily working within our own teams, departments and organisations.

The movement started over ten years ago and is quite simply underpinned by Ask, Listen, Do. Firstly, ask the question, what matters to you. It may seem an awkward question to ask or blurt out, however it can be asked in many ways and in many different circumstances. Perhaps I am nosey by nature, but I love finding out about my patient’s life – who and what is import to them as well as what they value. These can be often conversations when taking a person’s observations as part of daily nursing interventions or perhaps whilst delivering personal care. Do we resist asking because we are scared of what the answers may be?

Listen deeply to the answer –attentive listening is required here, not just a quick nod of a head that we so often do. Part of the joy of this question is the deeper listening; if listened to, our problems or concerns suddenly don’t seem quite as challenging as they did before. Is the key to the answer in feeling completely listened to? To have that feeling of involvement? To be listened to and be heard?

And thirdly do. The initial thought is that patients will ask for the winning lottery numbers or to cure the incurable. However, in my experience it is more to do with spending time with those who they love, to do the things they enjoy or just to be listened to throughout their care journey. Our teams have voiced that teamwork matters – that feeling of having a second ‘work’ family. This has to be something that we embrace, harness and continue to nurture. If we have a team that work well together, a team that feel listened to then in turn we should hopefully have patients who are well cared for. A team that are together, a team that then want to deliver person centred care and one that delivers it seamlessly.

So perhaps when you are next on duty - ask your work colleagues what matters to them. Listen closely to their answer and try and do. You may well be pleasantly surprised with people’s answers. But just as importantly, ask your patient what matters to them and really listen to that answer. Try to work with them, to deliver what matters to them. After all, if we were in our patients’ shoes – would we not want to be listened to?

For further information and resources please see: Alliance Scotland. Person Centred Voices