A 'virtual video booth' has been launched by the Welsh Ambulance Service in a UK first to accumulate thoughts from patients, carers, and their families.

The online platform allows people to give feedback which will help the service to understand its strengths and areas for improvement.

This initiative is part of the trust's efforts to continually enhance its services, operating under the guidelines of the Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) Act 2020.

The Act that came into force on April 1, 2023, defined a Duty of Quality that expects NHS organisations to consistently enhance service quality.

The virtual video booth is the latest method the trust has employed to receive feedback.

Leanne Hawker, head of patient experience and community involvement, welcomed the development and expressed the importance of constructive feedback.

Ms Hawker said: "We are an organisation committed to learning and are forever keen for people to tell us about their experience, whether good, bad or indifferent.

"There are a number of ways that people can do this already, but we wanted something even slicker and easier, especially in this digital age."

She emphasised the convenience of the video booth which can be accessed from various devices and allows users to efficiently record their thoughts.

This feedback includes four specific segments: about them, their experience, how the experience made them feel and what could have been done differently.

The clips will be scrutinised by the patient experience and community involvement team to identify trends and potential areas of improvement.

Any lessons to be learnt will be taken to various forums and meetings, as stated by Ms Hawker.

The trust's executive director of quality and nursing, Liam Williams, commented on the importance of user experience as the key to quality improvements.

Mr Williams said: "Quality is at the heart of everything we do here at the Welsh Ambulance Service.

"The lived experience of patients, their families and carers is key to unlocking some of the quality improvement opportunities we continually aspire to achieve."

He also hinted at the potential the interactive approach might hold for developing future services and improvements.

Mr Williams said: "Having this interactive approach builds on the really positive engagement we already get and will hopefully enable greater opportunities for co-production with people across Wales, something we’re passionate about as an organisation.

"We look forward to the public embracing this additional opportunity to share with us what it feels like to use our services."

The 'virtual video booth' can be found on the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust website.