West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, which runs West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds, ranked among best in country for patient care
An NHS trust has ranked among the best in the country for patient care.
In the NHS Adult Inpatient Survey for 2023, those cared for at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) rated it as 8.5 out of 10 for overall experience, placing it fifth in England and second in the East of acute among acute and combined trusts.
WSFT also scored highly, ranking in either the top two or top five in the region, on most other criteria including admission and leaving the hospital, the hospital and ward, doctors, nurses, care and treatment, kindness, compassion, respect and dignity.
Dr Ewen Cameron, chief executive, said: “Putting our patients first is at the heart of all the care we provide, and it is so heartening to hear that people being looked after on our wards have a positive experience.
“To achieve consistent placing in the top five of the results for general and combined trusts is a testament to the commitment our staff have to safe, quality, and compassionate care.
“These findings will help us to build on what is working well, as well as improve on the way we share information with our patients.”
The trust scored well on questions including the receipt of appropriate equipment and means of support when leaving hospital and the food served.
It improved its score from the previous year on questions on cleanliness (from 9.0 in 2022 to 9.2 in 2023) and if patients felt there were enough nurses to care for them (from 6.8 to 7.4).
The survey also showed where WSFT could improve, including the information given to patients being transferred to a different ward during the night, or from the hospital to a virtual ward, where digital equipment supports care in the patient’s own home.
The survey showed the trust it needed to improve its involvement of patients in conversations where doctors are discussing their care.
The survey is run by the Care Quality Commission and looks at the experiences of patients who stayed at least one night in hospital as an inpatient.
There was a 49 per cent response rate for WSFT, compared with a national response rate of 41.7%.
