Gloucestershire Hospitals welcomes Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) Adult Inpatient Survey

The 2023 survey of adult inpatient’s experiences involved 131 NHS acute trusts in England. In total there 63,573 responses from patients nationally, a response rate of 41.7%, while in Gloucestershire 526 patients completed the survey, a 45% response rate.

The survey shows that 80% of respondents rated the overall patient experience at Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals as a 7/10 or more. Areas of good practice were also identified as well as areas requiring further improvement.

Positively 98% of respondents said they were treated with respect and dignity. A further 98% of patients also said they had confidence and trust in doctors. Areas for improvement include the time patients can wait for admission, explanations given to patients if changing ward at night and the amount and level of patient involvement in relation to discussions concerning their discharge from hospital.

Kevin McNamara, Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are grateful to our patients for taking the time to provide their valuable feedback through the CQC inpatient survey. Patient experience is at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to continuously improving the quality of care we provide.

“The survey results have highlighted areas where we are performing well and reaffirm the high regard in which the public hold our staff. This is particularly rewarding for staff to hear given the ongoing challenges that they face.

“However, we also acknowledge that there are areas where we need to improve. The survey has identified challenges such as waiting times, discharge planning and the need for ongoing communication between staff and patients and more broadly responsiveness to patient needs. We do take these findings seriously and are already taking steps to address these.”

The full survey can be viewed in the CQC’s website.