Patients pleased with their care at Nottingham’s hospitals, but still more to do
A recent survey shows that most adult inpatients are pleased with their overall care at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH), but there remain areas for improvement.
The survey, carried out by the Care Quality Commission, looks at the experience of adult inpatients during their stay in hospital during July 2017.
Between August 2017 and January 2018, a questionnaire was sent to 1,250 recent inpatients at each trust. At NUH, 492 patients completed the survey, a response rate of 40%.
The survey had79 questions, including areas such asthe Emergency Department, waiting lists and planned admissions, operations and procedures, discharge process, emotional and wellbeing support and overall experience.
In each domain, NUH scored ‘about the same’ in comparison to other hospitals and overall 81% of people reported they had had a ‘good experience’ during their stay.
There were several areas highlighted where Nottingham’s hospitals had done well, which included: 94% of patients saying that their admission date was not changed by the hospital and 91% of patients said they did not share a sleeping area with patients of the opposite sex.
In relation to hydration and nutrition, 94% of patients said they did get enough to drink whilst in hospital and 91% of patients agreed that they felt well looked after by the non-clinical hospital staff.
95% of patients said ‘Yes always’ to the question: ‘Were you given enough privacy when being examined or treated?’ and 91% of patients said they felt overall that they were treated with ‘respect’ and ‘dignity’ while in hospital.
In comparison with the 2016 Inpatient Survey results, Nottingham’s hospitals have improved across the following areas including; cleanliness of room or ward and communications with staff about the operation or procedure they have undergone.
However, the survey showsthere are still areas for improvement, with patients saying they wanted to see more information on how to complain about their care, and other recurring themes included: noise created from other patients at night, delayed discharge from hospital and receiving medications.
Ann Marie Riley, Deputy Chief Nurse at NUH, said: “We are pleased that the results show we are providing a positive experience for patients who are admitted and stay overnight in our hospitals. 8 out of 10 patients said they were overall happy with their experience which is similar to other Trusts nationally, however there is more for us to do in Nottingham to improve the experience for all patients. However, there are still clearly areas we need to act on in response to this important feedback from our patients. The annual inpatient survey results are an important measure of how patients feel about their experience in our care and along with feedback we receive via other channels such as complaints, concerns and social media help us to further improve the experience of our patients and our services.”
The full results of the survey can be viewed here