13 May 2009
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust is showing significant improvement in the experience patients have in its hospitals, according to a survey published today (13 May) by the health watchdog, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The Inpatient Survey 2008 reveals the Trust's patients rated it as showing improvements, with nine out of ten areas showing positive results compared to just five last year.
The survey also showed that the Trust is in the top 20% of all hospitals in England for:
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there being enough nurses on duty to provide care;
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patients being given a choice of admission date;
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there being minimal disturbance at night by other patients;
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patients not wanting to complain about the care they received.
Patients gave the Trust a better score than last year in 48 out of the 61 questions asked with a significantly better score in 23 areas.
The areas highlighted by the CQC where the Trust scored "significantly better than the previous survey" include:
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patients feeling they were treated with respect and dignity;
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how clean the hospital room or ward was that they were in;
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whether patients of different sexes ever had to share sleeping areas;
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how well our doctors and nurses work together;
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the written information they receive when they are discharged;
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how they rate the care they received overall.
Director of Nursing, Pippa Hart, said: "The CQC's Inpatient Survey is of great importance to the Trust and is a barometer of how good a job we are doing in making sure our patients have the best possible experience in our hospitals.
"The fact that we have improved on last year in so many areas is an indication of the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to improve the experience that patients have in our hospitals.
"Being in the top 20 per cent for four areas is an excellent result, especially as this includes patients feeling we have enough nurses on duty and that they have no need to complain about the care we provided.
"We are also extremely pleased to be in the top 20 per cent of all trusts offering patients a choice of admission date. This is a direct result of the work we have done around improving the way in which patients book their appointments, making attending hospital as convenient as possible for them.
"Over the coming weeks, we will be publicising the results of the survey to our doctors, nurses and other staff, so that they know where we have done well and what we need to do better at. We will also develop a detailed action plan to help build on the improvements we have seen over the last year, with the aim of making our hospitals some of the best - if not the best - in the country."
The Care Quality Commission survey for the Trust is drawn from an independent survey of our patients, carried out by the Picker Institute. The Picker survey shows our patients felt:
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Overall: rating of care was good/excellent (92%)
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Overall: doctors and nurses worked well together (91%)
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Hospital: room or ward was very/fairly clean (93%)
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Care: always enough privacy when being examined or treated (88%)
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Care: less than five minutes to answer call button (79%)
The Care Quality Commission Inpatient Survey 2008 involved 165 acute and specialist NHS trusts. 72,000 patients were involved, a response rate of 54 per cent. Patients were eligible for the survey if they were aged 16 years or older, had at least one overnight stay and were not admitted to maternity or psychiatric units.
