Patients score Royal Surrey’s doctors highest in Surrey

In the CQC 2010 Inpatient Survey results, released on Thursday 21^st April, patients scored The Royal Surrey County Hospital the highest in Surrey for questions on doctors, as well as waiting lists and planned admissions.

The Trust scored 86% for questions about doctors overall and excelled at individual questions, being awarded the best score in Surrey for two in particular:

• 83% of patients said that they got answers they could understand from their doctor when they asked important questions
• 87% of patients said that they were acknowledged by their doctor and the doctor did not talk in front of them as if they were not there

Patients also awarded The Royal Surrey the highest score in Surrey for questions about waiting lists and planned admissions overall.   

The Royal Surrey was rated in the top 20% of Trusts in the country for 15 out of the 64 questions by patients in the survey and had improved in 38 out of the 64 questions from 2009.  The main improvements have been for the quality of food, noise at night, care from doctors and information for patients about their medicines. The Trust scored particularly well for the provision of same sex sleeping and washing facilities; 93% of patients said they were provided with a same sex sleeping area and 88% with same sex bathing areas.

Ellen Bull, Interim Director of Nursing and Patient Experience, said:

“Same sex accommodation and ensuring patients have privacy are both critical elements to ensure patients are treated with dignity and respect during their time in hospital.  All of our staff work hard to anticipate the needs of the people they care for and we are very conscientious that all of our patients are treated with compassion and respect.

“Overall the Trust has made significant improvements in critical areas of care for our patients whilst maintaining areas where we have been performing well for several years.  The results of this survey are very positive for the Trust and reflect the dedication of our staff to providing high quality, safe and compassionate care for our patients. The Trust has worked hard to improve on last year’s CQC Inpatient Survey results and will continue to strive to ensure ongoing improvements in patient care.”

The Royal Surrey was also highly rated for privacy, dignity and respect.  94% of patients said they were given privacy when being examined or treated and 84% for privacy when discussing their condition or treatment.  Overall 90% of patients felt that they were treated with dignity and respect. 

Information about hand washing and the availability of hand gels were two of the highest scoring criteria for the Trust, scoring 97% and 98% respectively.