East Surrey Hospital one of the country's worst, according to patient survey
EAST Surrey Hospital is one of the worst hospitals in the country, according to a new patient survey published on Tuesday.
A survey of adult inpatients by the Care Quality Commission found the hospital was in the bottom 20 per cent of hospitals for categories such as privacy, waiting times to get a bed on a ward, noise from other patients, confidence and trust in doctors, and respect and dignity.
It failed to make the top twenty per cent in a single category.
But Michael Wilson, chairman of the Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, said that the survey was taken last summer and is now out of date.
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He told the Mirror: "I can't change the past – I can only influence the future. We are changing things here. I would defy anybody to say they could have done anything quicker.
"We were disappointed with the results of the survey but we weren't totally surprised. Our own monthly patient survey told us a similar story in July last year since when we have been working hard to improve our facilities.
"We launched a £14 million redevelopment programme in September 2011 which is delivering a modernised and enlarged emergency department with an increased capacity of 30 per cent.
"The redevelopment programme has already seen the opening of a new reception area in the emergency department with a new clinical observation area plus two new wards in the hospital which provide 40 extra beds."
He said he expected the patient survey for this year would show a "significant improvement" and that he could not conceive of a situation where he might resign due to the trust's bad performance.
He added: "We've been defeated for the last 10 years and we now have a very good, hardworking and committed workforce who are on a journey to ensure our patients get the best possible service."
Reigate MP Crispin Blunt called the news "disappointing" and agreed the results of the survey came as no surprise, but said he expected "significant improvement" next time around.
He added: "This is a hospital that runs very hot, designed for 250,000 people but serving over 400,000. It's had longstanding reputation problems which the current management and staff are working incredibly hard to turn around.
"I do think progress has been made in the last year but this survey reinforces that there is no room for complacency."
The Surrey and Sussex NHS hospital trust was ranked via a traffic light system, where it scored no green lights and mainly red.
Areas where it was in the 'worse' category – in the bottom 20 per cent in the country according to the views of inpatients were:
- The emergency / A&E department, answered by emergency patients only;
- Waiting lists and planned admissions, answered by those referred to hospital;
- Waiting to get a bed on a ward;
- Doctors;
- Care and treatment;
- Operations and procedures, answered by patients who had an operation and procedure
Areas where it was in the 'about the same' category, in the middle 60 per cent of hospital trusts:
- The hospital and ward;
- Nurses;
- Leaving hospital;
- Overall views and experiences
Areas where it was in the 'better' category, in the top 20 per cent of hospital trusts:
- Zero
Comments
by Nicki71080
Wednesday, February 20 2013, 4:43PM
“My mother in law died in east surrey hospital on valentines day 2013. Her death was completely preventable and was down to the negligence of drs and care notes not correctly filled/missed, observations not carried out.
The high dependency unit picked this up and told my father in law to go to patient liason service and post mortem has just been carried out and she died of peritonitus due to blockage of the ce***.
She had rotted in that hospital since two weeks before christmas till her death 14/02/2013. I hope that an investigation into this sees the irresponsible staff members severely punished as their lack of care beggars belief.”
by JLOinsurrey
Monday, January 07 2013, 8:14PM
“Michael Wilson should be aware that even now in January 2013 the same problems exist. Total lack of interest when treating my mother-in-law have resulted in no treatment at all, shipped off to Dorking, back again to East Surrey, back to Dorking again and possibly off to Brighton or Tooting tomorrow. Why? Because no doctor will take charge and say what treatment is needed. Pass the patient instead.”
by 1stephen
Wednesday, May 02 2012, 6:22PM
“If, as suggested, these are the findings with a degree of gentle cohersion applied, how bad would they be if conducted without any pressure?
If they are the result of questionnaires being posted home and collated anonymously then comparisons with other similar sized hospitals with comparable demographic areas could be informative”
by sjscientist
Wednesday, May 02 2012, 11:44AM
“Thank you for putting me right on that one Pseuds. In 2011, they were telling folk that all these hand held computers were being issued so that nurses could go round and get these computer questionnaires answered. This I suppose was a big step forward from not asking patiennnts how they felt at all. The home questionnaires must be best of all.”
by Pseuds
Wednesday, May 02 2012, 4:56AM
“The surveys are not done with a nurse hanging over you - the survey is sent to your home address after the hospital have passed your personal details on without your consent to another organisation, despite the 'guarantees' contained the NHS Care Record Guarantee.
I personally don't think East Surrey is any better or worse than anywhere else - it is just people in East Surrey have a higher expectation of how they want to be treated than the rest of the population.”
by sjscientist
Tuesday, May 01 2012, 8:35PM
“A big "thank you" to the press for attempting to address these issues as I do not believe there is anyone else who is helping to hold the Hospital accountable. I speak as one who sent in six different complaints in 2011.”
by sjscientist
Tuesday, May 01 2012, 7:31PM
“I am sorry, but I think that the surveys completed as I understand it with a nurse hanging over you, which may have been changed, however, that is how it was in 2010, as opposed to volunteers who help take the surveys in other hospitals, are over optimistic.
I think with a nurse hanging over you who you hope against hope will bring you a bedpan in the night, you are not going to be honest if you have not been "treated with dignity".
How many people actually know what dignity means anyway?
If the hospital actually wanted to know what patients thought, they would ask open questions.
Not all hospitals take surveys in the same way. Mayday uses professionals who phone up patients once they are home.
Also, the very ill or dying or the family of dying people are not consulted. The system used by East Surrey is not scientific and open to abuse in that nurses CAN be selective as to who they ask. I think that the 3 hours a day visiting hours is not compassionate and if it is because patients get tired, why do private hospitals have open visiting hours as well as hoepitals which are better than East Surrey?”