Not without our help, they are coming under strain.
Bring back Covid rules amid rising UK cases, NHS chiefs say
Unfortunately, because of the problems getting a doctor’s appointment, A&E departments are chock a block and due to social distancing patients are sitting on the floor. It must be a nightmare being a doctor or nurse in a hospital emergency dept at present.
Meanwhile, CQC data reveals 75% of patients are positive about their hospital care
New data published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) showed the majority of respondents (75%) rated their overall experience of hospital care as eight out of ten or higher.
So with Covid infections rising fast in ‘Your Waverley’ highest in the South East – let’s stay safe, wear masks, observe social distancing and let the staff of our hospitals, the Royal Surrey County Hospital and Frimley Park get on with vital elective surgery?
The data came from the latest national survey of hospital inpatients published by the Care Quality Commission, which captured the views and experience of more than 73,000 people who stayed in one of 137 acute and specialist NHS trusts in England for at least one night during late 2020.
Key findings from the data included showing most people had confidence in the doctors and nurses treating them, feeling their questions were answered clearly by staff, and the hospital ward or room they were staying in was clean.
The national adult inpatient survey has been carried out annually since 2002.
For the 2020 iteration, due to the pandemic, respondents were able to complete the questionnaire online and by post for the first time. This is believed to have been responsible for some of the increased response rates seen from certain groups, including those under the age of 35 and those from black and minority ethnic groups – both of which have been underrepresented in the survey data in previous years.
Of those surveyed, most people (85%) said they were”always” treated with dignity and respect during their hospital stay, and this was the case for Covid (84%) and non-Covid (85%) patients.
Most respondents felt they “always” received answers they could understand when asking doctors (75%) and nurses (77%) questions about their care.
When asked about how clean their hospital room or ward was, 98% said it was either “very clean” or “fairly clean”, and three quarters (75%) said they “always” got the help they needed from staff to wash and keep themselves clean.
However, the national survey findings also revealed some less positive responses around the information provided to them at the point of discharge – particularly around medication and how to manage their condition or accessing further support once home.