Children, young people and parents give their verdict on care

Children and young people treated in Evelina London Children’s Hospital in August 2014 – and their parents – were invited to have their say on the quality of their care by taking part in the national children’s hospital survey. The results were published by the Care Quality Commission on Wednesday 1 July.

Parents rated Evelina London as significantly better than the national average in four key areas including parents feeling involved in their child’s care, staff agreeing a plan of care for their child with parents, staff keeping parents informed of what was happening to their child, and staff asking parents if they had any questions.

Children and young people aged 8-15 rated Evelina London as significantly worse than the national average in one area – they felt they were not given enough privacy when receiving care and treatment.

In all other areas, children, young people and their parents at Evelina London rated their experience about the same as other NHS trusts.

Janet Powell, Director of Nursing for Evelina London, says: “I would like to thank all Evelina London Children’s Hospital staff for their hard work which means that parents rate us as significantly better than the national average in four important areas.

“Involving parents in their child’s care, and keeping them informed every step of the way through their child’s treatment, is vital and so it is heartening that our staff’s expertise in this area has been recognised.

“However, we have realised from our own internal feedback systems that young people and their families would benefit from more quiet space and private facilities, particularly our teenagers and those here in the hospital for longer stays. Our patients and families are working with us as we plan changes to the environment.”

The full results of the survey are available on the Care Quality Commission website at www.cqc.org.uk/yoursurvey.