In terms of the qualities that Panel members believe contribute to a good ambulance professional, the top response was for knowledgeable, skilled, trained, professional or experienced staff (71%) followed by staff being caring, compassionate, understanding or sympathetic (57%).

Panel members were then asked about any situations where people may call for an ambulance, other than in a life-threatening emergency. Examples given included accidents such as broken bones or falls (14%), extreme situations requiring urgent help such as pain, blood loss, breathing issues, heart attacks and allergic reactions etc (11%) and for transport to appointments or hospital or where people don’t have access to any other form of transport (10%).

More than 7 in 10 respondents (73%) felt either very or fairly comfortable knowing that they might have to wait a little longer for an ambulance response (outside of a life-threatening emergency), if it meant that they were more likely to receive a more appropriate response for their condition.

Eight in ten respondents (80%) felt either very or fairly comfortable discussing options for further care with ambulance professionals that may not result in a visit to a hospital emergency department.

Just under 7 in 10 respondents (68%) said they would feel comfortable if they were offered a consultation with an ambulance professional as part of the service offered by their GP practice.

In terms of what information Panel members believed would be most helpful for ambulance professionals to make decisions with them about their care, just under 9 in 10 respondents (89%) said their medical history would be helpful and 81% said key summary information about pre-existing medical conditions would be helpful.

Over 8 in 10 respondents (82%) felt either very or fairly comfortable with the Scottish Ambulance Service having access to this information (e.g. medical history, allergy information, community assistance etc).

Attitudes toward organ and tissue donation after death

In future, the law on organ and tissue donation after death in Scotland will be changing to an ‘opt-out’ system. To help the Scottish Government prepare for this change, Panel members were asked for their opinions on a range of statements about organ and tissue donation after death.

The level of agreement ranged from 76% who agreed with the statement “I trust the organ and tissue donation system in Scotland” to 92% who agreed with the statement “I feel able to have a conversation with a family member or loved one about my organ and tissue donation”. Panel members were asked about their awareness and level of understanding in relation to organ and tissue donation after death.

• 88% understood that under the proposed ‘opt-out’ system they may be presumed to be willing to donate unless they have stated that they do not wish to do so.
• 86% were aware of the plans to move to an ‘opt-out’ system for organ and tissue donation in Scotland.
• 62% were aware how to register their organ and tissue donation decision.

Just under half of respondents have already registered their decision about organ and tissue donation after their death (46%) and just under half (49%) had not.

Around two thirds of those respondents (66%) said they were either very or somewhat likely to do this, 17% said they were somewhat likely and a further 17% were unsure. Over six in ten (61%) have had a conversation with a family member or loved one about their organ and tissue donation decision.

Nursing and midwifery care

The topic on nursing and midwifery care was included in the Citizens’ Panel to inform and influence the Excellence in Care Programme which launched in April 2016. Excellence in Care aims to provide the Scottish public with confidence and assurance that nursing and midwifery care is high quality, safe, effective and person-centred.

When asked about the qualities of a ‘caring nurse or midwife’, the top response was for them to be compassionate, understanding or sympathetic (75%). This was followed by staff being knowledgeable, skilled, trained, professional or experienced (73%).

Over 3 in 10 survey respondents (31%) have had a recent care experience in the last 12 months with a nurse or midwife. Of these individuals, over half (55%) said they are always or frequently given the opportunity to share their preferences about their care with their nurse or midwife, 22% said they are sometimes given this opportunity, 21% said they are rarely or never given this opportunity and 2% were unsure.

Panel members were then asked how comfortable they would feel asking a nurse or midwife a range of questions about their care. This revealed that:

• 70% would feel comfortable asking for more information, explanation and options around their care · 69% would feel comfortable asking when they would like aspects of care to be carried out
• 68% would feel comfortable asking how they would like to be cared for and how they can contribute to their plan of care, and
• 62% would feel comfortable asking how they can provide feedback about their experience.

Panel members were asked to select from a list of options, identifying which aspects of their care and treatment they would be happy discussing with their nurse or midwife. Over 9 in 10 respondents were happy to discuss each of these aspects, with respondents being most comfortable discussing the details of their current health condition (98%) and slightly less comfortable discussing the risks and benefits associated with the treatments available to them or doing nothing (92%) and details of likely future outcomes relating to their health condition (92%).

The majority of respondents (73%) said there was nothing that stops (or limits) them from being involved in decisions about their healthcare and treatment. On the other hand, 9% mentioned a lack of appointments or appointments being too short and 8% mentioned staff issues such as staff not listening to their concerns or a lack of consistency in terms of not seeing the same member of staff at their appointments.

Finally, when asked about what matters most to Panel members when thinking about the professional practice of nurses and midwives, 8 in 10 respondents (80%) said competence, knowledge and skill was most important. This was followed by being treated with dignity and respect (51%) and being cared for compassionately (32%).