The Emergency Department (ED) at the Royal United Hospital in Bath has topped a nationwide league table for patient recommendations at the height of the winter pressures.
In January 2015, the ED at the RUH was the most highly recommended Accident and Emergency (A&E) unit in England – with 98% of patients who took part in the survey saying they would recommend it to friends and family.
The high patient satisfaction rating coincided with one of the busiest periods the hospital has ever experienced.
During the Christmas week, emergency ambulance attendances rose by 17% compared to the same period the previous year.
Francesca Thompson, Chief Operating Officer said: “Whilst the 4-hour target was very much at the centre of media coverage of the unprecedented pressures upon EDs around the country, our focus at the RUH remained firmly upon delivering high quality, safe patient care; That said, for the whole of 2014/15 we managed to see nine in every ten patients within the 4-hour target.
“We are justifiably pleased and proud that patients rated their own experience of ED so highly and were likely to recommend ED to friends and family seeking similar urgent treatment on the basis of their own experience.”
January’s result is in line with the Trust’s consistently excellent performance on the NHS Friends and Family Test (FFT) for A&E.
The department was in the top ten of Trusts for the whole of 2014 – and spent 11 of the 12 months in the top five.
In addition to its good FFT results, the Trust also received some very positive feedback from patients who felt compelled to share their experience of being treated in ED during the winter pressures.
One gentleman, who reviewed the service on the NHS Choices website, said: “I entered the system through the 111 entry point, suffering a pulmonary embolism.
“My feet from then on did not touch the ground. In the space of a few hours I had had every relevant test and scan.
“I was attended to by countless nurses and doctors [and] was moved from ED to the Medical Assessment Unit where I was looked after well. At no point did I feel neglected.
“The care seemed efficient and ‘joined up’ […] I have been treated at all times with real sympathy, care and consideration […] All I can say is … thank you and well done!”
