Hospital Patients Rate Care as Excellent

20 May 2009

94% of people who were surveyed after treatment at Jersey’s General Hospital found the level of care was either good or excellent and 81% said they always had confidence and trust in the doctors treating them.

The survey results, released last month, showed more than 400 people responded to the Inpatient Survey which was carried out independently by Picker Institute Europe on behalf of Jersey’s Health and Social Services Department in late 2008. The survey asked what patients thought of the health care services provided by the hospital. It analyses how results compare with their 2006 survey and also compares Jersey’s results with the UK NHS Trust hospital average.

The 2008 survey found the greatest improvement was in communication, with more people saying they always received clear answers to questions from doctors (73%) and nurses (80%), an increase of 12 and 13 percentage points respectively compared with 2006. All respondents said they were treated with respect and dignity by ambulance crews and only 3% said they were not totally reassured by them.

Health and Social Services Chief Executive, Mike Pollard, said: “I’m delighted with the survey results. They clearly show that our staff are delivering an excellent service and that significant improvements have been made since 2006. The survey does highlight the need to improve certain areas of our administration process, something which we are tackling at the moment.”

A total of 69 questions were asked and the hospital scored considerably better compared to its previous results on 21 questions and it outperformed other NHS trusts on 38 questions. Only 27% of Jersey respondents felt hospital food was poor or fair compared with the NHS trust average of 41%, and only 5% of Jersey patients said it took more than 5 minutes to answer a call button, compared with an NHS average of 14%.

Health Minister, Deputy Anne Pryke, said: “I am extremely pleased with these results, especially how favourably they compare with the UK average. This survey confirms, despite pressures on the hospital service, that our dedicated staff continue to deliver an excellent standard of care to all Islanders. We will seek to address the concerns that have been expressed at the earliest opportunity. I am very grateful for those who have taken the time to complete the survey as their input has been much appreciated.”

The main areas where the General Hospital scored lower than UK counterparts were in planned admissions and discharge. 35% of people surveyed said they were not given printed information about their condition or treatment compared with an average of 25% in the UK. 63% of patients said they did not receive copies of letters sent between the hospital and their GP (UK average 49%) and 54% said there were no posters or leaflets explaining how to complain about care, compared with 44% in the UK.

Notes to Editors:

Further details available in the Picker executive summary.