Patient experience at Oswestry hospital is 'best in country', says major report
Overall patient experience at a Shropshire hospital is the best in the country – according to the findings of a major national report published today.
The Adult Inpatient Survey is produced annually by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which monitors, regulates and inspects health and social care services in England.
It is based on feedback from almost 77,000 people who had a spell as a hospital inpatient during July 2019 – months before Covid-19 made its presence felt.
The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) has been named by the CQC as one of just nine organisations placed in the top band of trusts delivering results that are considered “much better than expected”, with patient experience this substantially better than elsewhere. It is also classed as “much better” in both medical care and surgery.
The Oswestry-based hospital received responses which were better than most trusts in 54 of the 60 questions included in the survey which were relevant to its services, and worse than most trusts in none.
Highlights include top scoring for overall patient experience with an average mark of 9.23 out of 10.
Staff across the trust were championed by patients responding to the survey. Its doctors were rated as the best in the country and its nurses came out on top for inspiring confidence and trust. Other clinical staff (including physiotherapists and radiographers) were also rated number one, while even non-clinical staff came out on top for the way they look after patients.
The hospital’s wards and rooms are also ranked as the cleanest in the country, while patients rated its food as the best as well – for the 14th time in the last 15 years.
Passion
Stacey Keegan, acting chief executive, said: “The Adult Inpatient Survey gives a snapshot into a world before Covid-19. Things have changed a lot since then, but one factor that has stayed constant is our focus on patient experience.
“This survey is a very useful tool for all NHS organisations, as it gives us a strong measure of exactly what our patients think about us.
“It covers everything from the clinical care we provide to how clean the wards are and how good the food is, so it really is a comprehensive analysis of everything we do.
“The results we have seen in the 2019 report published today, reflect what we have seen in recent years – and it certainly makes very good reading.
“Covid-19 has forced us to do things differently – in the way we use technology to keep in touch with patients, for example. There is no going back from that, and I hope that when this survey is repeated again, we will be able to show that we are continuing to improve and continuing to put the patient at the heart of what we do.”
Chris Morris, Interim Director of Nursing, said: “I have only been in post since the early weeks of the pandemic, but in that time I have already seen so clearly the passion that all of our staff – clinical and non-clinical – have for the delivery of world class patient care.
“It is wonderful to see that passion and that commitment reflected so clearly in the results of this Inpatient Survey.
“We will use this report to celebrate our strengths, but also to help shape our areas for improvement so that we can continue to raise the bar and give our patients the experience they deserve every time they come through our doors.”
