Two North East hospital trusts have been rated among the best in the country for inpatient care, according to this year's Care Quality Commission (CQC) survey. Thousands of patients who spent at least one night in hospital were questioned, and the results show the hospitals run by the Gateshead Health NHS Trust and the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust are standout performers.
The two trusts are the only non-specialist hospital trusts listed among the 12 highest-rated "outliers". Elsewhere in the region, the Newcastle Hospitals, County Durham and Darlington, and South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS trusts all rated at least around the average for every area assessed.
Survey measures patient experience
The CQC asks patients to rate their care out of 10 across key questions, including how well basic needs were met, the hospital and ward environment, and how patients felt about the doctors and nurses. Each trust also receives a score for the "overall experience".
The North East success comes amid a national picture of significant improvements "across multiple areas of care", the CQC said. Long-term analysis suggests the experience of inpatient care is "improving", with most patients reporting positive interactions with staff, feeling involved in their own care, and improvements in staff availability.
However, nationally, the results showed that 21% of patients who thought it was necessary said hospital staff did not involve their family or carers in decisions about leaving hospital at all, while a quarter reported families were not given enough information to care for someone at home.
Hospital bosses respond
Dr Birju Bartoli, chief executive at Northumbria Healthcare, said: "Providing a good experience for our inpatients is a real team effort, with clinical and non-clinical teams working together to deliver high-quality patient care. While we continue to focus on how we can deliver more care in the community and in people's own homes, there remains a critical need for excellent care within our hospitals."
Dr Sean Fenwick, chief executive at Gateshead Health, said: "These results are a real reflection of the care our staff provide to patients every day. What matters most to me is what patients are saying about the way they were treated. To see 100% reporting that they were treated with kindness and compassion and with respect and dignity is particularly encouraging."
Matt Brown, managing director of the North East and North Cumbria "provider collaborative", said: "It is good to see so many patients sharing positive views about their hospital care. These results show the skill, care and hard work of NHS staff."
Trust-by-trust results
Here is how each of the five North East hospital trusts rated, with scores out of 10.
- County Durham and Darlington: 472 responses. Overall experience averaged 7.9. Respect and dignity scored 9.1, while admission (7.0) and arrangements when leaving (7.1) rated lowest.
- Gateshead Health: 435 responses. Scores were higher than ever, with 9.5 for kindness and compassion and for respect and dignity. Three areas were rated "much better than expected": quality of hospital and ward, care and treatment, and leaving hospital.
- Northumbria Healthcare: 464 responses. Of 12 survey sections, responses were better than most trusts in 10, with the other 2 "about the same".
- Newcastle Hospitals: 480 responses. Rated better than expected for admission (7.8), leaving hospital (7.4), and care from doctors (9.2).
- South Tyneside and Sunderland: 407 responses. Rated around average across all 12 areas, with improvements in respect and dignity, which rose to 9.1.
Karen Sheard, trust executive, said: "I'm especially pleased to see we have been highlighted for the dignity and respect we show our patients. These are at the heart of everything we do."
