Quality of NHS care

The quality of care patients receive in NHS hospitals varies across England, according to the latest survey from the country's health watchdog.

While more patients rated their care as "excellent" there are still "striking" differences in standards of care, the Healthcare Commission poll discovered.

The commission said variation was a particular issue in areas including waiting for hospital admission; mixed-sex sleeping areas and bathrooms; cleanliness of wards and bathrooms; hand washing by staff; and the quality of food.

In getting help with meals, at the lowest scoring trust 42 per cent of patients said they did not receive the help they needed, while in the highest scoring trust the figure was three per cent.

The Healthcare Commission said it expects trusts to use the results of the survey to improve standards of care and to respond to patients' concerns.

Chief executive Anna Walker said it is "crucial" trusts take information on board.

"Overall, it's encouraging that a steadily increasing percentage of patients say care is 'excellent'. It's good to see advances on issues like the quality of food, waiting times, and team working between doctors and nurses," she added.

"But the survey also shows that in some hospitals the NHS is struggling to deliver on some of the basics of hospital care.

"There are striking variations in performance in key areas such as providing single-sex accommodation and giving people help when they need it. Those performing poorly must learn from those who perform well."

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