Patient Partners engaged in governance
Niagara Health’s ‘willingness to listen, to really listen – can make healthcare more human’ says Patient Partner.
Reimagining the Patient Experience
People at the centre of care
At Niagara Health, patient experience is more than a measure. It is how care feels to the people who depend on us most.
Over the past year, Niagara Health launched and operationalized its Reimagining Patient Experience Plan PDF, opens in new tab, creating a shared organizational approach grounded in the Six Key Elements of Patient Experience. Designed to strengthen communication, compassion, involvement and trust, the framework is helping teams across the organization embed patient-centred care into daily practice.
The impact is already being felt.
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In our Emergency Departments, targeted patient experience initiatives helped drive measurable improvements in care experience. Overall patient experience scores increased from 41 per cent to 53 per cent, while patient involvement in care decisions improved from 53 per cent to 62 per cent.
These gains reflect focused, team-based strategies aligned with our operational plan, including huddles, communication training and integration of the Six Key Elements into frontline care practices.
Across the organization, Niagara Health also expanded patient feedback systems into new clinical areas including Intensive Care, Mental Health & Addictions and Ambulatory Care. Improved email collection strategies and QR-code enabled surveys increased real-time patient feedback participation from six per cent to 15 per cent, strengthening our ability to respond to patient needs.
This progress is also reflected in the voices of patients and families. Over the past year, 1,821 STARS were presented to staff, physicians and volunteers through the STAR Compliment program, more than double the 903 received the previous year, recognizing those who made a meaningful difference in care experiences.
Patient Experience also became more deeply embedded in leadership and operational discussions, supported by new data literacy tools, standardized action planning templates and regular program-level reviews of patient feedback data.
The organization further strengthened the voice of patients and families in decision-making.
This year, 19 new Patient Partners joined Niagara Health and contributed to 36 new initiatives across the organization, advancing priorities such as discharge medication information, spiritual care resources, patient education materials and transitional care planning.
At the bedside, Patient Experience rounding continued across seven inpatient units, allowing teams to proactively address concerns and connect directly with patients and families. More than 620 patients and family members participated in rounding conversations this year, while six of the seven participating units demonstrated sustained reductions in formal complaints.
Together, this work demonstrates tangible progress toward Niagara Health’s goal of creating safer, more compassionate and more connected care experiences — where patients and families feel heard, respected and involved every step of the way.
