Western Isles hospital cleanliness

Western Isles emergency services football match

Top marks for Western Isles hospital cleanliness 7/9/11

Hospitals in the Western Isles have received high ratings in a new survey gauging patient experiences in Scotland.

The Better Together Inpatient Patient Experience Survey showed local improvements since last year. NHS Western Isles hospitals continue to exceed the national average in the vast majority of areas.

A random selection of 442 patients who had stayed in an island hospital during 2010/11 responded to the survey; all rating their experiences of services to help target improvements.

Hospital cleanliness was one of the top scoring areas for NHS Western Isles, with almost all respondents (98 per cent) stating that the main ward/room they stayed in was clean (six per cent above the national average), and 96 per cent saying the toilets and bathrooms were clean (10 per cent above the national average).

For respondents whose hospital visit was planned in advance, ninety-seven per cent responded positively about the length of time they had to wait before being admitted to hospital. This was an improvement of five per cent from the previous year’s result and eight per cent above the national average.

With regard to treatment received in the Emergency Department, 91 per cent responded positively (up four per cent from the previous year and nine per cent above the Scottish average).

Ninety-six per cent of respondents felt that the information they were given before attending hospital helped them to understand what would happen (up one per cent from last year), and 92 per cent rated their care and treatment during their stay in hospital as positive (seven per cent above the national average).

At six per cent above the national average, and up one per cent from last year, 93 per cent of respondents also rated the staff positively, 91 per cent said they got the best treatment for their condition (four per cent higher than the national average and three per cent higher than last year), and 94 per cent understood what was happening to them (four per cent above the national average and five per cent higher than last year).

The results of the survey will be used by NHS Western Isles to inform the Board and further improve service delivery.