Health secretary praises hospital trust

The Friends and Family test has seen 96 per cent of people visiting the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust say they would recommend it to others.

The trust runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.

They have now received a letter of congratulations from health secretary Jeremy Hunt.

Mr Hunt said: “The trust is a real example to others, demonstrating how to improve performance in a short space of time and ensure that your patients get the care that they deserve.

“From visiting organisations throughout the country, I know the immense amount of work that will have been behind this outcome cannot be underestimated.

"This improvement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the trust’s staff.

“My congratulations to all those who work at the trust; the service they give makes a real difference to the lives of many of the area’s sickest and most vulnerable patients.”

Simon Wright, Chief Executive at SaTH, which runs the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford, said: “We have been able to achieve this thanks to our exceptionally hard working and compassionate workforce.

“I would like to thank each and every member of staff; your commitment enables us to provide first class care to our local communities.”

The Friends and Family test was introduced in 2013 and asks patients whether they would recommend hospital wards, A&E departments and maternity services to their friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment.

This means every patient in these wards and departments is able to give quick feedback on the quality of the care they receive, giving hospitals a better understanding of the needs of their patients and enabling improvements.

The results are gathered and analysed to see if any action is required.

Results for hospitals and maternity services are used to create an overall score which is available on the NHS Choices website.