Barnsley Hospital rated one of best in region for patient experience

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC’s) 2023 Adult Inpatient Survey asked patients who stayed at least one night in hospital in November 2023 about their experience. This covered admission, care and treatment on the ward, and help received on discharge from hospital.  

The annual survey highlighted that the Trust had improved in the following areas: 

• How much patients understood the information given about what they should or should not do after leaving hospital  

• Patients being given enough privacy when being examined or treated 

• Hospital staff discussing the need for adaptations to the patient’s home, after leaving hospital 

• Hospital staff discussing whether patients need further health or social care services after leaving hospital 

• Patients getting enough support from health or social care services to help them recover or manage their condition  

• Staff doing everything they could to help control pain.  

Based on patient feedback from the 2022 Adult Inpatient Survey, BHFT has also introduced a range of patient experience improvements in the past year, including:  

• A Care Partner initiative to support carers to work in partnership with staff to provide an agreed level of care in hospital 

• Welcome packs, given to patients on admission, which include important information about their inpatient stay, discharge, and ‘sleep hygiene’ 

• ‘Three Things About Me,’ which promotes interaction between vulnerable patients and staff during routine care 

• Extensive work to improve communication with patients and relatives, a dedicated sleep hygiene group, and a thorough discharge pathway review 

• Introduction of pharmacy volunteers to support transfer of medications to ward areas, for more timely and effective discharges.  

The 2023 results did find areas in which the Trust did not do as well as other Trusts nationally:  

• Information about medicines patients were to take home 

• Information about care and treatment on ‘virtual ward’ 

• Length of time on waiting list before hospital admission 

• Information about what patients should or should not do after they leave hospital 

• Reasons for changing wards during the night being explained to patients in a way they could understand.  

Becky Hoskins, BHNFT Deputy Director of Nursing, said: “We are pleased our patients are telling us their experiences are getting better, and we have been working hard to listen to and act on their feedback – but we know there is always more to do. 

“These results play a huge part in our ambitious plans for improvement. Specific areas we will be focusing on, based on feedback from patients and carers, include:  

• Improving patient, carer and family access to timely and relevant information 

• Continuing with the Sleep Hygiene improvement initiative; implementing a variety of different interventions that are necessary in supporting patients to have a normal quality night’s sleep and increase daytime alertness 

• Ensuring patients, carers and families are supported to discuss and share with staff the things that are most important to them during their hospital stay.” 

The survey included131 trusts and responses were received from 63,573 patients – a response rate of 41.7%. The response rate for BHFT was 40%, with 456 patients responding.  

To ensure ongoing improvement, the BHNFT Patient Engagement Team and Patient Experience Teams actively seek feedback and involvement from patients, their relatives, members of the public. They can be contacted on 01226 434925, 01226 434922, or bhnftpatientexperience@nhs.net