Sarah: Communication P1 and P7

Kettering General Hospital:

What does Kettering General Hospital do?

Kettering General Hospital provides acute hospital services for the people of Northamptonshire any beyond. They give emergency care, hospital treatment which is arranged by your GP and they also cover dentist and opticians appointments.

Verbal Communication:

At Kettering General Hospital a face to face meeting was set up. Face to face communication was used as it can convey the body language of the staff making it easy for the ward manager to see when they are unhappy with something. It also makes the feel of the meeting more personal so making everyone feel comfortable to say what is bothering them and can communicate their feelings without there being miscommunication. This is a non-electronic form of communication so there is no back up copy of the meeting. The information for the meeting comes from the ward manager as she is in charge of the everyday running of the ward. The importance of this meeting is that it informs the staff of any changes or new procedures and amendments. It is also a chance for the staff to voice any issues that they may have and want to discuss with everyone. The information is aimed at the staff on the ward and it includes everyone from the newly qualified to the ward sister. The information being given in the meeting can be quite complex as all the staff present will understand the jargon used.

Written Communication:

All outpatients’ appointments are sent by a typed letter and they receive it in a non-electronic from. This is a generic letter that is sent to everyone but with minor alterations depending on the ward, times and dates; because of this the consultant’s secretary sends all the letters to the patients. The letter is a short piece of information that should inform the patient when and where there next appointment will be and the information is aimed at the patient. The audience will range from 17+ as under 16’s letters are directed at their parent or guardian as they are still perceived as a minor. The patient can have any number of things wrong with them, due to the fact that the letter is non-specific and for external people the information being given won’t be complex and the layout will be very formal.

On-screen Communication:

In a hospital, the staff are required to go on mandatory training sessions to refresh and develop their knowledge in their field of nursing. They send these training notices by the electronic form of e-mail. These e-mail reminders are sent by the training office as they are the people responsible for the staff going on training sessions. This information is important as it informs the staff of all the mandatory upcoming training dates. If the staff don’t attend theses training appointments then they could miss vital information which could potentially place a patient in danger and the problem with sending the information by e-mail is that they may not regularly check their e-mails meaning they miss one. The information is aimed at the ward staff and although the information is given formally it won’t be very complex as it is only giving times, dates and places.

Web based Communication:

Kettering General Hospital has a webpage