§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what new steps his Department took in 2001–02 to consult the users of its services about their wishes and expectations; and if he will publish the findings. [47305]
§ Ms Blears[holding answer 10 April 2002]: A programme of National Health Service trust-based patient surveys began in January this year, with all acute hospital trusts carrying-out a specially designed survey which seeks the views of a randomly selected group of patients—about 500 in each trust. This will become an annual survey. The main areas covered include; admissions, nature of the hospital ward, staff attitudes, care & treatment (pain management etc), leaving hospital and how the patient feels after their experience.
The acute survey results will be used to:
(i) inform the national NHS performance ratings, ensuring that patient experience is a key element in determining the ratings given to trusts(ii) feedback directly to trusts, where service improvement programmes will pick up on the findings of the survey and will then be used to deliver year on year quality improvements. Here, it is envisaged that, the new 'patient prospectus' (to be distributed to local communities this autumn onwards), will be an important vehicle to convey the survey findings to staff and 234W the public. Then, through the liaison of the Trust board and (subject to legislation) the new 'Patient Forum', an action plan will be established which takes forward the issues identified, and outlines how real improvements to the quality of the patient experience will be delivered within the trust. At the national level, a survey of coronary heart disease (CHD) patients reported during year 2000, (fieldwork having taken place during 1999). The survey looked at the quality of NHS care for both inpatients and day patients treated for CHD. The results were published on the Department's website and fed back to participating trusts, thus providing a national overview of patients' opinions of their treatment. A further national survey—looking at the experience of cancer services patients, was carried out in 2001 and will report later this year to individual trusts, the 'cancer networks' and via the website. A general practitioner patient survey is also taking place this year (began January '02). As with the acute IP survey above, this will inform both the national performance ratings in the summer, and improve the quality of primary care/GP services, via feedback to all existing primary care organisations, so that appropriate actions can be taken. Next year (reporting 2003) a more specialised survey will be devised to better relate to the comprehensive range of primary care trust-based services.