Remember the Spice Girls? They exploded into our lives in 1996 and became an instant global phenomenon with their debut single Wannabe and the iconic line “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want”.
More than 15 years later the band members have gone their separate ways but the sentiment of the song lives on. People today have a greater understanding of what they want and never more so than in health and social care. As patients increasingly exercise their right to choose where and how they receive their care, it becomes more important than ever for healthcare organisations to offer them what they want.
But what do patients really want? Of course their clinical care has to be of the highest standard possible and, in the vast majority of cases, in both the NHS and the independent sector, it is. But patients today want more than that. The whole package of today’s healthcare has to be right. Patients are the customers and they want to be treated with dignity and respect, be involved in decisions about their care and looked after in a clean, safe environment.
