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New figures show that 96% of patients who needed care in the A&E departments at Epsom and St Helier would recommend the units to their loved ones – that’s 10% higher than the national average.

The latest results from the nationwide Friends and Family test show that during December, the vast majority of A&E patients rated their care highly enough to recommend the service to others – despite the fact that both A&E units were dealing with an unprecedented surge in demand.

In December, the A&E units saw a staggering 13,046 patients – a 10% increase on the same period in 2013. The month also included the hospitals’ busiest week on record, with more than 3,138 coming through A&E in just a seven day period.

Dr Amir Hassan, A&E consultant said: “The teams working in our busy A&E departments have got to be ready for anything, because no matter how busy we are or what sort of emergencies are coming through the door, each patient needs our undivided care and compassion.  We are absolutely delighted that the results of our Friends and Family Test are so positive – it indicates that we are giving high standards of care to our patients, even in challenging circumstances.”

Dr James Marsh, Joint Medical Director, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the latest figures from the Friends and Family Test, and I would like to thank all of the staff working in and around A&E for their sterling efforts. It has taken team work and dedication to be able to treat such a large number of patients and keep up our high standards.

“Looking at local and national averages, our results are very strong and we are proud of all that we have achieved. That said, we know that we have to keep up the good work and make sure each and every patient gets the very best from us.”

But it’s not just a rating that our patients gave us – below is a selection of comments that people left for our staff:

• Jon Banton was extremely helpful, friendly, and caring. I was really impressed with Jon, going above and beyond the call of duty." 

• "Amazing service. I was seen very fast within one hour, seen, x-rayed, and consultation with Nurse Karen Jones. First class service."

• "Nurse Magda's attention to detail was exceptional - a nice example of care was given to me today."

If you have received care at our hospitals recently and would like to have your say, or would simply like more information about the survey, please visit Friends and Family Test.