QVH scores top marks from patients

Results from the national NHS inpatient survey reveal that QVH achieved the highest score out of all 156 acute hospital trusts in England for how well patients rate their experience of being in hospital.

The results of the survey were published today by the Care Quality Commission. The annual survey of patients at all hospital trusts in England covers all aspects of patients’ care and treatment, including the way they were treated by doctors and nurses, the information they were given and their views on cleanliness, comfort and quality of food. The findings help the NHS to improve the way it cares for and treats patients, enabling hospital trusts to see how they are doing year-on-year and how they compare with others.

QVH scored above the national average on 56 of the 67 questions patients were asked, achieving the best overall scores for the sections of the survey on the quality of nursing, quality of care and treatment, and support on leaving hospital. Questions for which QVH achieved the highest scores in the country include:

• Overall, how would you rate your experience? (QVH scored 9 out of 10)

• Did you have confidence and trust in the nurses treating you? (9.3)

• In your opinion, were there enough nurses on duty to care for you in hospital? (9.3)

• Were you given enough privacy when being examined or treated? (9.8)

• Did a member of staff answer your questions about the operation or procedure? (9.6)

Amanda Parker, QVH Director of Nursing and Quality, said: “All the staff at QVH can be rightly proud of these results. At QVH we strive to combine clinical excellence with compassionate care for everyone we treat – whether they have been transferred to us from far away for our specialist burns care or are a local resident who has come in for their cataracts. We will be studying the findings in detail to ensure that we keep improving and can be confident we are offering QVH patients the very best care.”

This year, in the tenth national NHS inpatient survey, 419 patients aged 16 or over who had stayed at QVH for at least one night during June, July or August 2012 completed the survey which was carried out by Picker on behalf of the CQC. The response rate was 50%, in line with the national average of 51%.

The full findings of the survey are available at: www.cqc.org.uk/survey/inpatient/RPC