GLOUCESTERSHIRE Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has responded to the feedback from 2023’s Adult Inpatient Survey to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) - the independent regulator of health and social care in England.

The survey asked patients to review certain criteria such as whether they felt treated with respect and dignity and their confidence and trust level of doctors. 

The survey showed 80% of respondents rated the overall patient experience at Cheltenham General and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals as a seven out of ten or more.

98% of respondents said they were treated with respect and dignity and a further 98% of patients also said they had confidence and trust in doctors. 

Areas for improvement were identified as waiting times, explanations given to patients if changing ward at night and the level of patient involvement concerning hospital discharge.

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 2023 survey of adult inpatient’s experiences involved 131 NHS acute trusts in England. In total there were 526 Gloucestershire patients that completed the survey, equating to a 45% response rate.

The full survey can be found via the Care Quality Commisions’ website.