Outpatient survey results published

The findings from the Outpatient Survey 2011 for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have been published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The survey, carried out by the Picker Institute on behalf of the Trust, asked the views of adult outpatients who had experienced attending an outpatient appointment during May 2011.

The survey highlights a number of positive findings, with the Trust continuing to perform well with the majority of patients (95 percent) reporting that their care was good, very good or excellent and 91percent felt they were treated with respect and dignity all the time when they attended the outpatient department.

Areas where the Trust performed significantly better included a big increase in people being able to find a convenient parking place which reduced from 34 percent in 2009 to 14 percent in 2011. There was also a rise in patients reporting a better choice of appointment times, and fewer people waiting more than 15 minutes for their appointments.

However, almost half of patients reported that they were not as involved as they would like to be in decisions about the best medication for their condition. There was also a slight increase in people reporting that they did not have enough time to fully discuss health or medical problems with the doctor.

Patrick Crowley, chief executive, said: "It is good to see that our patients, year on year, take the time to complete the questionnaire and how we consistently achieve a higher than average response rate. Overall we are very pleased with these results.

"It is brilliant news that our new car park has had the effect that we strived for with patients and their families and friends now more able to find a convenient place to park at York Hospital. We know that this issue is so important to patients when they come for their appointment or visit their loved ones.

"The issue for many of our patients would seem to be the time spent with our medical staff which can be a challenge in such a busy hospital. People can be assured this is a key area that our outpatients departments are working on.

"The Trust will now consider and act upon all the issues highlighted in the report and look at how best we can improve. The survey helps us understand what matters to our patients and respond accordingly."