Skip to content

Website cookies

This website uses cookies to help us understand the way visitors use our website. We can't identify you with them and we don't share the data with anyone else. If you click Reject we will set a single cookie to remember your preference. Find out more in our privacy policy.

How to use this toolkit

This toolkit is designed to be read in the order that is most helpful to you. At the core of the toolkit are the six steps that make up the Patient and Family-Centred Care (PFCC) process. These are complemented by a number of tools that our teams found particularly helpful as they worked through their own PFCC projects.


What is PFCC and why is it needed?

The toolkit introduction explains what PFCC is, why it is such a valuable approach, and how you can build momentum for the work and get the project off the ground.

Throughout the toolkit you will find videos and case studies of people who have taken part in the programme, with tips and learning points based on their experiences, and a wealth of downloadable resources, from templates to sample meeting agendas, helping you plan and carry out PFCC in your own health care setting.

Find out more about the approach >

Step-by-step guide

The six steps outline the approach itself, taking you step by step through the core process, from selecting the care experience you will work on to forming project improvement teams.

Step 1 Select a care experience.

Step 2 Establish a guiding council.

Step 3 Evaluate the current situation by looking at all care as an experience through the eyes of the patient and family, and develop sense of urgency to drive change.

Step 4 Develop a PFCC care experience working group.

Step 5 Create a shared vision for the ideal patient experience by writing the story of an ideal experience as if you were the patient or family member.

Step 6 Identify your PFCC improvement projects and form project improvement teams.

Tool centre

The tool centre provides simple summaries of a range of improvement methodologies that our teams found helpful as they worked through the steps. Each summary includes links to more details to help you make the most of each technique.

Visit the tool centre >

Case studies

Three case studies highlight how three different organisations have implemented the PFCC approach in their own care settings.

Read the case studies >

Tips for success

The tips for success section offers learning from teams who have implemented the PFCC approach on the critical success factors for this work and common pitfalls or barriers.

Read tips for success >

Gaining support

This section draws on the learning from our PFCC projects. It summarises what participants felt were the key influences on the success of the projects.

Read more about gaining support >

Patient and Family-Centred Care toolkit

Patient and Family-Centred Care is a simple, step-by-step method for understanding what a care experience is like, what needs to change, and which small improvements can make a big difference to patients, families and staff alike.

Visit the toolkit homepage >

Join our PFCC LinkedIn group

We have set up a LinkedIn group for people to share their experiences of PFCC or to find out more about the approach.please

You can choose to read the parts of the toolkit that are of particular interest to you by clicking on the image above.