Patients recommend their care at Guy's and St Thomas'

Most inpatients and many A&E patients say that they would recommend the care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ to their friends and family.

Inpatients who completed the Friends and Family Test questionnaire in June gave Guy’s and St Thomas’ an average score of 77 with some areas scoring above 90. Patients who came through A&E gave an average score of 49. NHS trusts can score between -100 and +100, with +100 being the best.

The Friends and Family Test is a new national initiative that asks adult patients treated on hospital wards and people attending A&E whether they would recommend their care to friends and family based on their experiences.

The results – which are published today by NHS England nationally for the first time will help patients compare the care offered by individual NHS trusts.

Chief Nurse Eileen Sills says: “The Friends and Family Test is an important barometer to tell us very quickly what our patients think about their care.

“By listening to our patients’ responses we have been able to make a number of simple but effective changes to improve standards of care at our hospitals.”

Examples of improvements made to services as a result of patient feedback since the introduction of the Friends and Family Test include:

• A patient on an acute medical ward highlighted the benefits of using a carrier for their oxygen canister. It helped the patient to move around, boosted their recovery and gave them more independence. As a result the ward sister purchased additional carriers to help more patients.
• Some patients commented on the busy nature of visiting hours which impacted on their ability to rest during the daytime. Staff are now reviewing our visitors policy.
• Patients on one medical ward told us that they would have liked more information about the everyday ward routines on arrival. Now the ward sister ensures that all patients receive information about the ward when they arrive.

Eileen Sills says: “Our patients have told us that simple things like a nurse or doctor smiling or asking them how they feel while caring for them can make all the difference.

“We are working hard to make sure that our staff listen to and respond to patients so that we provide the best possible care.”

From October 2013 the Friends and Family Test will be extended to cover maternity and community services.