Outpatient care at a local hospital trust has made significant improvements with a rise in the number of patients rating their care as excellent, according to patients in a recent survey.
The national outpatient department survey of every trust inEnglandwas published by the Care Quality Commission this week.
Results show 45 per cent of patients at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust rate their overall care as excellent, compared to 36 per cent in 2009. The survey is carried out every two years.
A further 36 per cent of patients said their care was very good, 14 per cent good, and four per cent fair. One per cent thought their care was poor and no patients said their care was very poor.
The Trust runs outpatient services from City Hospital in Birmingham, Sandwell General Hospital in West Bromwich, Rowley Regis Hospital, the Birmingham Treatment Centre, Birmingham and Midland Eye Centre, Lyng Health Centre and other community locations.
It was rated in the top 20 per cent of trusts in England for the length of wait for an appointment following referral, a member of staff explaining what would happen before their treatment, information about side effects and informing patients who to contact if they were worried about their condition or treatment after they left hospital.
Chief Operating Officer, Rachel Barlow, said: “We’re delighted to see such a large rise in the numbers of our patients who think their outpatient care is excellent.
“We know we have more to do, particularly in reducing the number of appointments we cancel, although we are making improvements in this area. We also need to reinforce the importance of staff introducing themselves and including patients in conversations.
“Hopefully our continued emphasis on customer care and quality will see further improvements in the experiences our outpatients have.”
The full results were published by the Care Quality Commission this week and will be discussed by the Trust’s Board next Thursday.