Newcastle Hospitals ranked among England’s best for patient experience

Newcastle Hospitals has been ranked among the best performing NHS trusts in England for patients’ overall experience of hospital care, according to the latest national inpatient survey.

The Care Quality Commission’s annual survey placed Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the top 25% of trusts nationally for overall patient experience, with patients continuing to report positive experiences across areas including communication, dignity, compassion and confidence in clinical staff.

The survey looked at the experiences of people aged 16 and over who had stayed for at least one night at the Freeman Hospital or Royal Victoria Infirmary. Around 480 patients responded to the survey.

Newcastle Hospitals achieved an overall patient experience score of 8.4 out of 10, with particularly strong results for interactions with doctors and the way patients felt they were treated during their hospital stay.

Respect and dignity received a score of 9.2 out of 10, while kindness and compassion was rated 9.1. Patients’ experiences with doctors scored 9.2, including questions about whether doctors communicated clearly, involved people in discussions about their care and inspired confidence and trust.

The trust also performed better than expected compared with other NHS organisations in several areas.

Admission to hospital received a score of 7.8, with improvements reported in the quality of information provided to people while they waited for admission.

Experiences when leaving hospital were also rated better than expected, including improvements in the notice patients received before discharge, information about what would happen next with their care and whether people knew who to contact if they became concerned about their condition after returning home.

Care and treatment received a score of 8.5, with the trust reporting a marked improvement in communication. Nursing care was rated 8.7 and support with patients’ basic needs received a score of 8.1.

Importantly, the trust said there were no questions within the latest survey where its results had declined.

Newcastle Hospitals said it would continue to examine the findings to identify areas where further improvements could be made.

The trust has also introduced a programme to monitor patient experience in real time, supported by Newcastle Hospitals Charity. More than 100,000 pieces of patient feedback are collected each year, allowing teams to identify concerns and respond more quickly to people’s experiences.

The Newcastle results come as the CQC’s national findings showed an improvement in inpatient experiences across England for the second consecutive year.

More than 58,000 people across 130 acute and specialist NHS trusts took part nationally. The CQC found that most patients continued to report positive interactions with doctors and nurses, although concerns remain around discharge arrangements, waiting for hospital beds and the support available to some people after leaving hospital.

People living with frailty and those admitted as emergencies were among those reporting poorer experiences nationally, while patients with disabilities, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and neurological conditions also reported worse experiences across a number of areas.

Dr Toli Onon, CQC Chief Inspector of Hospitals, said frontline NHS staff continued to work hard to provide high-quality care despite significant pressures on the health service.

For Newcastle Hospitals, the latest findings provide a positive picture, with the trust’s place among the country’s top performers reflecting particularly strong feedback around the compassion, dignity and communication experienced by patients during their hospital stay.

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