UK’s first online hospital satisfaction system

University Hospital and the Hospital of St Cross are inviting patients and relatives to surf the web and give feedback on the care and service they have received at the hospitals by clicking on a unique online patient satisfaction system which enables patients and visitors to fill in a simple interactive form on the hospitals website www.uhcw.nhs.uk.

The system has a sophisticated reporting and analysis system behind it which will allows the hospitals to respond to specific areas where improvement is needed and to also praise and congratulate staff and wards which have a high level of patient/GP satisfaction.

The Impressions online satisfaction system has previously been used successfully in the motor industry but it is the first time that it has been used by an NHS organisation.

Margaret Emmerson, a patient, who is also a member of the Patients Council said: “This is a really good idea not just because it allows the hospital to look where further improvements could be made but also there are lots of patients who are extremely grateful for the care they have received and would like a way of expressing that to the hospital staff. It is also a good idea that it is anonymous because people can speak freely."

Chief Executive David Roberts said: "We believe that our patients are the best people to tell us how we are performing because they have experienced our care and services. The new Impressions online questionnaire is anonymous and lets the person filling in the online survey, chose the areas they want to comment on and actually write in their views rather than simply ticking a box. It allows them to give as much or as little detail as they wish."

"We can then look at the results which will easily identify the areas that have performed well and have been congratulated for the good service they provide and also to target the areas where we can see that improvement is needed. Our patients' impressions will help us to provide the best standards of healthcare possible across our hospitals."

Patients or their representative will be able to access the Impressions survey via the Trust website www.uhcw.nhs.uk There will also be large display boards on the main hospital corridors which will display the information plus there will be a leaflet for people to take away so that they can go online when it is convenient for them to give their views.