Barnsley Hospital delivers consistently high standards in national inpatient survey
Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been recognised for maintaining high standards of care in the 2024 NHS Adult Inpatient survey, published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The survey captures experiences of patients who stayed overnight in hospital during November 2024.
Key highlights were:
- Staff Conduct and Care: Numerous comments praised the kindness, professionalism, compassion, and dedication of nurses, doctors, and other staff members, including cleaners and caterers. Many patients felt well-cared for and treated with dignity and respect.
- Effective Medical Treatment/Diagnosis: Patients reported positive experiences with immediate diagnosis, good medical care, and successful operations, with special mentions for outstanding doctors and effective care in specialised units like intensive care and cardiology.
- Positive Environment: Feedback described the hospital atmosphere as good and enjoyable, with the cleanliness of wards also noted positively.
- Top 5 scoring questions: Patients reported high satisfaction in key areas including information and support whilst waiting to come into hospital for planned care, discharge planning, support from health and social care services, and communication about virtual ward care.
The 2024 results have placed the Trust in the top quarter of hospitals for ‘overall patient experience’ whilst being cared for as inpatient.
Sarah Moppett, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to colleagues’ hard work. The results show our continuous dedication to enhancing patient care and that our efforts are making a real difference. We are delighted with our performance and I would like to thank every member of staff for their support and commitment to ensuring we provide high quality care.”
Sarah added: “While we celebrate our successes, the survey also identified areas where we can further enhance the patient experience.”
The main themes for improvement included:
- Communication Issues: Patients wanted more explanation about their condition and treatment, and there were concerns about communication between staff and family, and between different departments.
- Medication Management: Issues included delays in receiving prescribed medication and patients not being allowed to self-medicate for chronic conditions. Also, more information was required for patients regarding medicines they take home from hospital.
- Considering individual needs: Patients felt that person centred care could be improved at times supporting language barriers and supporting individual religious and cultural needs.