MEDICAL staff working in community hospitals and mental health services across Worcestershire spent a day last week finding out what day-to-day life is like for their patients.

On Monday, March 3 staff at Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust took part in the organisation's annual Walk in their Shoes day, wearing catheter or stomach bags, spending the day in a wheelchair or being fed by a colleague.

Walk in their Shoes day is the trust's contribution to the national NHS Change Day initiative, which encourages healthcare staff to pledge to do something to improve patient care.

The trust's chief executive Sarah Dugan said: “We know that patients generally experience excellent levels of care and treatment in our services but that doesn’t mean we are complacent and we recognise there is always more we can do.

"Walk in their Shoes Day is a chance for our staff to experience some of those things which might seem small, such as being fed or having your arm in a sling, but actually make a real difference to the whole patient experience.

"We hope that this will help us to gain an insight into how it feels to be a patient and give our staff a different perspective.”