2020 Adult Inpatient Survey

Responses on communications and trust were generally good – for example, most patients (75% for doctors, and 77% for nurses) understood the answers to their questions all of the time. Most people felt included in conversations about their care (74% for doctors, 77% for nurses). An even higher proportion had confidence and trust in the doctors (84%) and nurses (83%) treating them. When asked if they had been treated with respect and dignity, 85% of patients said ‘Yes, always’.

Cleanliness scored extremely highly, with 98% of patients experiencing good levels of cleanliness in their hospital room or ward. 92% were also able to receive help from staff to keep themselves clean all of the time or sometimes, fulfilling their basic hygienic needs.

Help with fundamental needs was generally good – however, just over 1 in 7 patients said that they did not get enough help from staff to eat their meals (15%) and just over 1 in 10 were not able to take their medicines (12%). Additionally, 5% of people were not given enough to drink while in hospital.

Hospital discharge scored less well: 23% of people did not feel involved in decisions around leaving hospital and 21% did not have their family or home situation taken into account. 30% of people were not given any written information about what they should or should not do after leaving hospital, and 21% said that after leaving hospital, they did not get enough support from health and social care services to help them recover or manage their condition.

For people needing medicine after their inpatient care, only 28% were told about the side effects, and just 55% were given an explanation of how to take it. Finally, 24% of people were not told who they could contact if they were worried about their condition or treatment after leaving hospital.