Southmead Hospital A&E ranked second best in the country

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Major survey reveals North Bristol NHS Trust’s Southmead Hospital A&E is second highest for patient satisfaction.

The Care Quality Commission survey of almost 50,000 patients looked at their experiences of Emergency Departments in 2020, and compared them to the same survey in 2018.

Patients were surveyed following a visit to the Southmead Hospital Emergency Department in September 2020, and were asked 47 questions about the experience from arrival at the hospital to leaving the department.

The survey asked patients to score areas such as ‘Waiting times’ and ‘Care and Treatment’ out of 10. The results, which have just been published by the CQC showed the Trust received an overall score of 8.75, second only to Moorfields Eye Hospital who were scored 8.92.

Areas the department scored particularly well in, and showed improvement from 2018 include:

  • Having confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses examining and treating them (9.4/10)
  • Communication (9.3/10)
  • Being treated with respect and dignity (9.5/10)

The Emergency Department has been especially busy over recent months and the team was pleased to see that patients rated their experience with staff so highly.

Maria Kane, Chief Executive at North Bristol NHS Trust said: “Everything we do at NBT is about putting the patients first and this is a brilliant example of that happening.  It’s all the more impressive given the huge pressures being faced by our teams and I’d like to thank them all for their wonderful efforts and commitment.  Recognition such as this is always good to receive, particularly during such a busy time.”

Anna Bell, ED Matron said: “We’re delighted to get such positive feedback from our patients.

“Our staff always work phenomenally hard to provide the best care for our patients. Over the last 18 months we’ve encountered so many additional challenges, so it’s great for the team to get this recognition from our patients that their hard work and dedication is resulting in positive experiences.

“I cannot tell you how proud I am of all of our Emergency Department staff, and we’ll continue to strive to give patients the best care possible when they come through our doors.”

You can help our Emergency Department by only using A&E department for life threatening emergencies such as severe bleeding, loss of consciousness or chest pains. If you do need urgent care, but you aren’t sure where to go, please contact NHS111 first, who will be able to provide immediate medical advice or direct you to the most appropriate service for your needs.

See the CQC survey results, analysed by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) here.