NNUH in top 20% nationally for quality of care

The Care Quality Commission's 2009 in-patient survey shows the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is rated among the top hospitals in the country for privacy and dignity and overall quality of care.

The findings come from the Care Quality Commission national in-patient survey. The 2009 survey is compared to similar survey questions in 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004 and 2002. A total of 499 adult in-patients at NNUH responded to the survey (a response rate of 60%) and were in-patients during 2009.

The 2009 Care Quality Commission patient survey reveals the Trust was in the top 20% nationally for:

• Overall quality of care
• Confidence and trust in the nursing staff
• Being treated with dignity and respect
• Privacy for patients when discussing their condition
• Staff explaining how an operation or procedure had gone
• Staff explaining what medication side effects to watch for
• Staff giving families or carers all the information they needed
• Low numbers of patients who wanted to complain about their care

Survey results were below average for: 

• Patients bothered by noise at night from other patients
• Patients using the same bathroom or shower area as the opposite sex
• Patients having somewhere to keep their belongings

Chief executive Anna Dugdale said: “The experience of our patients is really important to us and we are delighted that we were in the best 20 per cent nationally for some of the key care-giving aspects of the survey. We will use this survey to help make improvements in the areas where our results were not as good. We survey more than 1,000 patients every month to get their views and these surveys show 98% of patients would recommend our hospital to friends and family”.

Our in-patient wards all have separate shower facilities for men and women and all patients have bedside cabinets so we need to look at those areas of feedback as we are not sure why we have had that response”.

Norfolk Local Involvement Network (LINk) Chairman Patrick Thompson, on behalf of the county's patient watchdog, said; “We are happy with the changes made to facilitate single sex accommodation at the NNUH and LINk members will continue to monitor the impressive progress which the trust has made in maintaining high levels of respect and dignity. Norfolk LINk members are always aware of the needs of patients and this survey has been welcomed by them.”