Patients rate quality of care at NNUH as best in the country

Patients rate the quality of care offered by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as the best in the country out of all district general hospitals.

The findings come from the Healthcare Commission national patient survey. The 2007 survey is compared to similar survey questions in 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2002. A total of 534 adult in-patients at NNUH were surveyed in autumn 2007 for the latest survey.

The Norfolk and Norwich comes 11th overall out of 165 trusts nationally for providing a high quality of care but the 10 trusts who performed better are all small, single-specialty trusts. The 1000-bed Norfolk and Norwich is the highest-scoring general, multi-specialty hospital in the country. 

Healthcare Commission – Top 20 hospitals for overall quality of care

1. Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic and District Hospital NHS Trust 91.81
2. Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 91.48
3. The Cardiothoracic Centre – Liverpool NHS Trust 90.09
4. Christie Hospital NHS Trust 89.74
5. The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust 89.73
6. Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 89.57
7. Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Trust 89.27
8. Walton Centre For Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust 88.65
9. Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust 88.13
10. Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust 86.58
11. Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 84.73
12. Liverpool Womens Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 84.53
13. University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 84.46
14. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 83.46
15. Birmingham Women's Health Care NHS Trust 83.23
16. South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust 82.52
17. Royal National Hospital For Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust 82.22
18. Airedale NHS Trust 82.15
19. South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust 81.74
20. Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust 81.59

The survey also showed that 98 per cent of patients surveyed said they would recommend the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to friends and family. The 2007 survey reveals the Trust was in the top 20 per cent of hospitals nationally for:

• Overall quality of care
• Treating patients with respect and dignity
• Privacy for patients
• Confidence and trust in doctors
• Confidence and trust in nurses
• Getting help with feeding
• Doctors and nurses working well together
• Patients being involved in decisions about their care
• Patients being involved in decisions about their discharge
• Patients being asked for their views on the quality of care
• Opportunities for patients and relatives to voice worries or concerns
• Staff explaining the risks and benefits of an operation
• Staff explaining medication side effects

Chief executive Paul Forden said: “We have continued to see sustained improvements in patient satisfaction year-on-year and we are delighted this latest survey once again puts us among the top performing hospitals nationally in such a wide variety of areas. We will be considering the feedback patients have given and looking at how we can improve things further.”