Privacy and dignity

Privacy and dignity is about how people with a range of differing needs and values are respected as individuals. It is a basic human right as cited in the NHS Constitution.

East Cheshire NHS Trust is committed to ensuring that patients are treated in clean and pleasant hospital surroundings and that the staff will do all that they can to protect people’s privacy and dignity.

Treating people as individuals, whatever their differences or values, and ensuring that their particular needs are met, is central to the trust’s philosophy of ensuring the very highest levels of privacy, dignity and respect.

Same sex accommodation

East Cheshire NHS Trust is committed to providing every patient with same sex accommodation, because it helps to safeguard their privacy and dignity when they are often at their most vulnerable.

Click here to find out more about same sex accommodation.

Good practice regarding privacy, dignity and respect

Here are some examples of initiatives that have been put in place to improve services for patients, relatives and carers:

• Protected meal times
• Red trays for those patients who are assessed as at risk and need extra help and support with eating their meals.
• Red mugs for those patients at risk of dehydration.
• Cutlery with better grips
• Memory mats for patients detailing what their specific dietary needs are.
• Communications boxes on the wards and departments to aid people who have sight, hearing or communication problems.
• Interpretation and translation policy in place to ensure that patients and carers whose first language is not English get the same level of service as others.
• Communication books on wards and departments including pictures and sign language.
• Universal accessible signs across the trust for toilets and bathrooms. 
• Privacy curtains in toilets and bathrooms and some examination rooms.
• Flashing vibrating coasters in place in our outpatient areas, the Cancer Resource Centre and Endoscopy and Treatment Unit to allow people to leave the area if there is a delay and to alert patients with sensory impairment that their appointment is due.
• Privacy clips on curtains
• Side tying gowns
• Larger size wheelchairs available

Learning disabilities

East Cheshire NHS Trust is committed to improving the patient experience for people with learning disabilities and their carers. A Learning Disabilities and Autism Group is in place in the Trust.

The trust has undertaken a great deal of work in relation to improving the patient experience for our most vulnerable groups of patients.

Follow this link to see the Trust’s Open2Autism webpage on autism and the work in the trust to improve access to services for people with autism.