CQC National Inpatient Survey results suggest majority of patients remain confident in quality of care

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has recorded strong results in the latest CQC National Inpatient Survey, with patients praising the quality of care, dignity, and confidence in our colleagues.

Conducted by Picker on behalf of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the survey was sent to 1,186 eligible patients. A total of 589 responded, giving the Trust a 50% response rate. While this was well above the national Picker average of 41%, it was, however, a slightly lower response rate compared to 2023.

The survey found that 88% of patients rated their overall hospital experience at 7 out of 10 or higher, 98% reported they were treated with respect and dignity, and 99% said they had confidence and trust in the doctors who cared for them.

Among the top scoring questions for RCHT against the Picker average were:

• ‘Patients were able to get food outside of mealtimes’, which scored 87% compared to the average of 76%
• ‘Hospital staff took into account accessibility needs’, which scored 93% compared to the average of 84%
• ‘Patients felt involved in decisions about discharge from hospital’, which scored 79% compared to the average of 73%

RCHT also had several scores that greatly improved on those of the 2023 survey. These improvements included:

• ‘Information given about the risks and benefits of continuing treatment on a virtual ward’, which increased from 71% in 2023 to 86% in 2024
• ‘Did not have to wait too long to get a bed on a ward’, which increased from 69% to 77%
• ‘Staff did not contradict each other about care and treatment’, which increased from 64% to 72%

There were areas, too, where RCHT performed less well compared to our 2023 results, but these areas were comparatively marginal, with RCHT still performing better than the national average. These areas included: ‘Enough information given about care and treatment while on a virtual ward,’ which fell from 96% to 88%.

Responding to the survey results, Kim O’Keeffe, Dual Chief Nursing Officer and Deputy Chief Executive for the RCHT, said:

“Feedback from our patients is vital in helping us to keep improving, and it is heartening to see the results for RCHT broadly reflect those nationally. We are very pleased to see RCHT score highly across several categories and perform better than average in several key areas.

“These results would not be possible without the hard work and passion of colleagues across our hospitals, so it is both humbling and pleasing to see these results highlighting their commitment to providing safe and compassionate care. At the same time, we know there is always more to do, and as ever we will use these results to make sure we continue to engage with our communities to improve our care and patient experience.”