Infonurses Overseas

Majority of hospitals’ patients trust nurses, CQC patient survey reveals

The majority of hospital patients, (78%) always had confidence and trust in the nurses who treated them, a 1% increase from 2013, a new survey from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) revealed.

The survey is based on the replies of more than 59,000 people who stayed in one of 154 acute and specialist NHS trusts in England for at least one night during June, July or August 2014.

Over three quarters (77%) of patients said they were always well looked after during their hospital stay, but over two fifths (42%) said there were delays with being discharged from hospital, with the main reason for this being the wait for medicines (in 61% of cases).

Professor Edward Baker, deputy chief inspector of hospitals at the Care Quality Commission said: “Despite the pressures facing the NHS, many patients are reporting positive experiences about their care. This is not the case in every hospital. The survey demonstrates the significant variation between the best and worst performing trusts.”

The majority of patients (60%) also said there were always or nearly always enough staff to care for them, but 40% of patients said there were ‘sometimes or rarely or never’ enough nurses on duty to care for them.

Of those who used the call bell, almost one in five (18%) said that they experienced waits of over five minutes before they got help. One per cent never got the help requested.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Too often concerns about low staffing levels are ignored but when 40% of patients are saying there are not enough nurses, immediate action is required.

“Nurses are not responsible for setting staffing levels, yet they are often the ones in the firing line when a lack of staff impacts on patients’ experiences,” he said.