University Hospital Southampton receives “high praise” from CQC’s latest inpatient survey results
University Hospital Southampton (UHS) has received “high praise” in the latest national inpatient survey which is carried out annually by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
It aims to record patient feedback by looking at the experiences of people aged 16 or over who have stayed in hospital as an inpatient for at least one night.
More than 550 patients at UHS participated in the latest survey which ran during November 2023 and across 131 Trusts in England.
The survey asks patients to rate their whole hospital experience from their admission through to discharge – there is also an extra question around a patient’s overall experience.
Results show that UHS rated highly in the ‘kindness and compassion’ and ‘respect and dignity’ categories, each with respective scores of 9.2 and 9.3 out of 10.
Patients also reported trust and confidence in the doctors and nurses who treated them, which included having their questions answered clearly and being involved in discussions about their care.
Staff were also praised for giving patients enough privacy during examinations, providing enough information on conditions or treatment plans and managing pain control effectively.
The cleanliness of rooms or wards received a score of 9 out of 10 and patients also felt they were provided enough to drink during their stay to keep them hydrated and offered food that met their dietary needs or requirements.
Jennifer Milner, associate director of patient experience and care at UHS, said: “We are incredibly proud of the latest inpatient survey results and the high praise we have received from our patients – this is so incredibly rewarding for all staff who work tirelessly every day to provide them with very best care and experience during their stay in our hospitals.
“We are absolutely committed to continuously improving and learning and we are grateful for the feedback from this survey which also gives us a targeted focus in areas that need a little more work.
“Last year we launched Fundamentals of Care, a patient-centred programme which focusses on what matters most to patients. Eight key commitments ensure that standards are kept high and are reflected in the care that is delivered.
“We have also introduced a patient involvement and engagement officer who seeks out patient feedback on an ongoing basis, while we are also taking part in community engagement events to help with ongoing learning and look for ways where we can do better.”
She added: “Patients are at the heart of everything we do at UHS and their care and experience here underpins everything we do.”
The survey gave UHS an overall positive rating of 8.3 out of 10 with most patients feeling that they had a very good experience.
Read the full CQC survey results here https://www.cqc.org.uk/provider/RHM/surveys/50