A Romanian delegation of health professionals jetted into the UK on 9 April, for a four-day visit, to find out more about how Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust puts patients at the heart of care.

The patient experience team at the Care Trust have been sharing good practice with their Romanian counterparts, made up of a director of nursing, two psychiatrists and three mental health nurses from Satu Mare Hospital.

Isla Skinner, the Trust’s Patient Experience Lead, commenting on the visit said: “We are so pleased to be able to continue this international relationship, which my predecessor Tracey Corner established through her ongoing commitment to our colleagues in health over in Romania. It’s a great opportunity for our Romanian colleagues, but also for us. Together we can share and reflect on our learning and experiences at the Care Trust, and how this could be of help to them and their patients. We have been delighted to welcome the delegates and develop our mutual commitment to improve the quality of care.”

The visit followed a series of trips by Tracey Corner, who has visited Romania over an eight-year period, to share good practice in the UK and improve patient experience. The sharing of good practice included changes to the complaints process, guidelines on medicines management and visiting wards and services, with the patients’ care being the core focus of the experience.

During their visit to the UK, the delegation toured the Trust services, including a visit to Waddiloves Health Centre, which provides a range of health support for adults with learning disabilities; took part in a ‘Translating Research into Practice Seminar,’ a unique way of communicating evidence-based practice to all staff and people who use our services; and visited Airedale Centre for Mental Health and Lynfield Mount Hospital. A highlight of the visit was a lunch with executives and staff at the recently refurbished Four Seasons Café at Lynfield Mount. Here they saw first-hand how this café facility offers patients and their families a relaxing space to spend quality time together, out of the ward environment. Some of the Care Trust’s Involvement Friends, many of whom are service-users or carers, also took part in the visit, to share their perspective and expertise.’

Commenting during the visit, Dr Cisma Catalin from Satu Mare Hospital said: “We’ve found the visit extremely positive and have gained a lot from the experience, as it’s a very different system to Romania. It’s been a great opportunity to learn from our counterparts at the Care Trust, to find out more about the great work that they do to enhance patient care. We intend to take back the learnings to Romania to benefit patients under our care.”