Andrew Dickinson
This week’s #MondayMotivation reminds us that communication is key in improving the experience of all those who are impacted by Guelph General Hospital.
Andrew Dickinson, Guelph General Hospital’s Emergency Department Security Guard, aspires to make everyone who comes through GGH’s doors feel welcome, and for everyone from staff, to patients, to visitors feel safe and reassured. Andrew works at the Front Desk of the ED and is often one of the first people patients and visitors have contact with upon arrival.
None of these goals, he explained, could be accomplished without communication.
The first step is inter-staff communication. An effective flow of information allows the Emergency Department to run smoothly, directly impacting the experience of our patients and visitors here at GGH. Andrew explained how the culture at GGH mobilizes this, since the staff he works with are all easy to get along with and talk to.
A smooth running Emergency Department allows Andrew and all other staff to focus on what really matters – the patients and visitors that come through the doors of GGH. Communication is a crucial aspect of the patient and visitor experience, often turning a painful experience into a better one.
Andrew shares how when members of our community arrive by ambulance to the Hospital, they are often worried and scared. He takes it upon himself to talk to them, to make them feel safe and reassured, and to make sure they know that they will be well-taken care of. And Andrew is not alone – we often have past-patients and family members call the Hospital and express their gratitude for the reassuring words spoken to them by our staff upon their arrival to the Hospital.
