SEHA adopts top global standard for person-centred care marking PureHealth’s ‘Year of Patient Experience’

PureHealth’s SEHA partners with Planetree in push for unparalleled patient experience to help make the emirate the region’s leading healthcare hub.

Abu Dhabi-UAE. 18 July 2024: SEHA, a subsidiary of PureHealth, the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East, has reaffirmed its commitment to excellence by partnering with Planetree, the world’s leading person-centred care authority, to further enhance the patient experience based on the highest global evidence-based standards. The move aims to elevate the emirate’s position as the MENA region’s leading healthcare hub by creating an unparalleled patient experience. This initiative aligns with the leadership’s vision for enhanced quality of life and reflects PureHealth’s focus on enhanced patient-centred care at all levels, especially significant in 2024—dubbed the ‘Year of Patient Experience’ by PureHealth.

Under the partnership, Planetree will support SEHA to develop and implement an evidence-based roadmap to improved patient care, enhanced patient journey,  increased staff engagement,  and higher patient satisfaction.

SEHA’s Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), one of the UAE’s flagship tertiary hospitals, and Tawam Hospital in Al Ain will be pursuing certification under Planetree’s unique programme, which formally acknowledges an organisation’s capacity to embed and sustain person-centred care through cultural transformation. The programme encompasses empathy and compassion training for staff, along with the implementation of evidence-based practices to ensure an exceptional patient experience. Research demonstrates that the implementation of these practices results in significant benefits for patients, including better health outcomes and greater quality of care. Similarly, as patient engagement increases, staff satisfaction, performance, and morale see a corresponding increase.[1]

Saeed Al Kuwaiti, Group CEO of SEHA, commented: “SEHA’s patient-first approach is at the core of our success and our relentless pursuit to set the benchmark for patient experience is what sets us apart. With this agreement, we are going one step further to work with international partners, strengthen our reputation and elevate Abu Dhabi’s top-tier healthcare system. Under this process, we will collaborate with patients and their families to identify and meet the complete spectrum of patient needs and preferences. Ultimately, this initiative will help to deliver more effective, more efficient, and more equitable care in Abu Dhabi.”

Michael Giuliano, President of Planetree, said: “Planetree hospitals are models of excellence and success with a solid reputation and track record around the world for humanising the care experience for everyone, everywhere, every time. They are built on a bedrock of high-performing individuals, teams, and organisations, all committed and working towards the highest evidence-based standards of person-centred care excellence. We are delighted to support SEHA in its mission to position Abu Dhabi as a leading healthcare destination by deploying our proven methodology for transforming organisational culture and enhancing person-centred care.”

Planetree, a non-profit organisation founded in 1978, has an international reputation for empowering and partnering with hospitals and care providers to deliver a more humanised care experience for patients, families, staff, and the community. Person-centred care focuses on the needs of individuals, guided by individual preferences and values, and is supported by evidence-based structures, policies, and practices that create a culture of quality, compassion, and partnership across the continuum of care. Person-centred care ensures that patients are included in all conversations about their care and are supported in making treatment decisions.