NHS Western Isles has received top ratings in a patient satisfaction survey.
Patients expressed higher levels of patient satisfaction than the Scottish average in most areas.
Questionnaires were sent out in January to 384 people who had stayed overnight in an NHS Western Isles hospital, between April 1 and September 30 2015.
The survey asked questions about the people’s experiences of admission, the hospital ward and environment, care and treatment, operations and procedures, staff, leaving hospital, care after leaving hospital and medicines. There was a 42% per cent response rate in the Western Isles.
NHS Western Isles achieves top marks in patient experience survey
4 September 2016
Western Isles nurses were rated extremely positively overall, with almost all patients responding that they had confidence and trust in the nurses looking after them.
NHS Western Isles emergency departments demonstrated both the most positive local responses, and significantly higher satisfaction rates than the Scottish average.
All patients who responded were satisfied with the waiting time to be seen by a nurse or doctor in the emergency department.
They said they had enough privacy in the casualty department when being examined or treated, and also felt safe.
In the emergency department, 84% of patients said they were kept informed about what was happening after seeing a doctor or nurse while 75% were told how long they would have to wait to see a doctor or nurse. The majority said they were satisfied that their condition was explained to them in a way they could understand.
Every person taking part in the survey were satisfied about the time they waited to be admitted to hospital after they were referred. Almost all respondents rated the hospital admission process positively.
Hand hygiene was given a glowing report, with the vast majority reporting that nurses and doctors washed or cleaned their hands at appropriate times.
95% of patients received assistance within a reasonable time when they called, and the same percentage of people said that nurses discussed their condition and treatment with them in a way they could understand.
Respect for privacy also rated well, with 96% of patients admitted to a hospital ward saying they had enough privacy when their condition or treatment was discussed while 89% said that staff treated them with compassion and understanding.
Most patients said they were kept as physically comfortable as they could expect to be.
Meanwhile, there was also a high satisfaction rate in terms of food, with 91% per cent of patients happy with the meals.
The most improved areas for NHS Western Isles since the last survey in 2014 related to ensuring that the people that mattered to patients were involved in decisions about their care and treatment, nurses did not talk in front of patients as if they were not there,· patients knew which nurse was in charge of their care, and satisfaction with the length of time in hospital.
NHS Western Isles chief executive, Gordon Jamieson, said: “The results in the latest
survey are nothing short of excellent, and are testament to the hard work of our
staff, who genuinely care about continually improving care and providing a first-
"Well done to our staff for achieving such a positive and healthy report from the patients you care for. There really is no better praise for a healthcare professional than positive feedback from patients."