Listening to those who are waiting
Waiting is the single biggest frustration for our patients. Delays in treatment, pauses in procedures, queues to be seen - waiting in a hospital manifests itself in all sorts of forms.
However we know how important the subject is for the people we serve from the feedback that patients themselves consistently give us.
About one in 15 responses to our Friends and Family Test (FFT) highlights waiting as an issue - even though overall about nine out of ten patients are very happy with their experience in our hospitals.
Waiting is mentioned by five times as many patients as the next biggest negative category in the FFT, which is being in pain, although the two can overlap.
It has also been a common FFT theme for several years. Yet as the sheer volume of feedback continues to grow we can be more confident these views are genuinely representative.
The latest figures indicate we are now receiving an average of 25,500 responses from patients each month, a 26% increase on a year ago. We are on track to get over 300,000 responses this year, three times the annual volume two years ago.
The numbers have mushroomed since the introduction of QR codes, SMS texts and the ability to feedback in languages other than English - though paper questionnaires are still available for those who prefer them.
The vast majority of comments praise staff for providing emotional and physical support, and being professional, competent, friendly and helpful. Even in hard-pressed emergency departments, two-thirds of comments are positive.
Among the minority of patients who mentioned being in pain, about half were in A&E. Recurring themes were delays in pain relief, lack of staff empathy, poor communication, and the hospital environment.
Nikant Ailiwardi, director of insight and patient experience, said: “Over the last few years we have made it easier for patients to report on their experience, and this feedback gives us a rich resource from which we can learn lessons that will benefit future patients.
“Our volume of FFT responses is in sharp contrast to the official Care Quality Commission (CQC) patient surveys, where we get lower response rates from random samples of patients approached several months after their treatment.
“We are seeking to improve this, but anecdotally we may be victims of our own success in obtaining immediate feedback. By the time the CQC gets in touch, patients may feel that they have already shared their views through FFT.”
Examples of what patients say:
- “Staff are very lovely caring and supportive; make you feel very welcome.”
- “All the staff were very professional, kind and helpful. Your staff are the backbone of the NHS.”
- “Very compassionate amazing and friendly staff.”
- “Nurses were helpful, attentive and friendly.”