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We are currently developing ways to collect patient experiences in three areas

Better Together is currently developing ways to collect experiences from people who have been treated as inpatients within NHSScotland; people who live with long term conditions and people who use GP services.

Information will be gathered from inpatients from Spring 2009, for GP services from late 2009, and for people with long term conditions from 2010.

It has been decided that most of the work of this programme will be ethically approved even though patient experience evidence gathering is classed as audit, rather than research.

Who is developing this work?

The Better Together Coordination Centre, in partnership with a range of representatives from NHS Boards, other organisations and patient groups, is developing how we collect patient experiences through a group called Measuring Experience.

All the work which is developed will be piloted and ethically approved through the National Research Ethics Service (NRES). 

It has been decided that the work of the programme would be ethically approved even though patient experience evidence gathering is classed as audit, rather than research.

Who will gather these experiences?

Each NHS Board will be responsible for collecting its patients' experiences. NHS Boards will need the help of an Approved Contractor to send out questionnaires to patients. NHS Boards will also organise focus groups and other forms of feedback gathering.

Will patients have to participate?

Patients will be asked to participate but involvement in the programme will be entirely voluntary. The information provided by individual patients will be confidential and individual patients will not be identifiable in the results given back to the Health Boards.

What will happen to the results?

Once work to collect patients' experiences is complete, the Coordination Centre will analyse the results at a national level and publish them on this website. NHS Boards will then arrange improvement work and share best practice when they have analysed their own information and agreed local improvement plans.