Children's survey praises RUH for care and treatment

Children aged up to 15 and their parents and carers have rated the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust as better that the majority of Trusts across a range of measures.

The findings are included in the Care Quality Commission 2016 Children and Young People's Inpatient and Day Case survey, which involved 132 acute and specialist NHS trusts across England.

The Trust scored better than average in ten areas of the survey, and in no area was it rated as performing worse than the majority of other Trusts.

The survey looks at areas including going into and leaving hospital, the ward environment, the attitude of staff and operations and procedures.

The Trust is recognised for providing a friendly and welcoming environment for patients and their families, where they are treated with respect and dignity. Results show that staff are found to be friendly and approachable, engaging and informative.

Questions where the RUH was rated as performing better than the majority of other Trusts included: 'Did staff play with your child at all while they were in hospital?'; 'Were you able to ask staff any questions you had about your child's care?'; and 'Did you have confidence and trust in the members of staff treating your child?'

Bernie Marden, Head of the RUH Women and Children's Division, said: "These are very encouraging results and an endorsement of the continuing care and professionalism of our staff towards our young patients and families. It is also pleasing to see that children and caregivers value the play and activities we provide at the RUH. We know the positive impact that play and distraction can have on a child's experience, helping children cope with pain and fear while they are in hospital. We will examine the information from the survey and identify any areas where we can further improve the services we provide."

The Trust was rated better than average for:

• Play – children saying staff played with them
• Play – parents/carers saying staff played with their child
• Children saying staff spoke to them about their care
• Children saying staff answered their questions
• Parents/carers saying staff introduced themselves
• Parents/carers saying they were able to ask staff questions
• Parents/carers saying they involved in their child's care and treatment
• Parents/carers saying they were given information about their child's care and treatment
• Parents/carers saying they had confidence and trust in staff
• Parents/carers saying staff distracted their child during an operation or procedure
  

The 2016 National Children's Survey is part of a national survey programme run by CQC to collect feedback on the experiences of people using a range of NHS healthcare services across the country. The results contribute to CQC's assessment of NHS performance as well as ongoing monitoring and inspections. The programme also provides valuable feedback for NHS trusts, which they can then use to improve patient experience.

Between January and April 2017 questionnaires were sent out to a sample of children and young people (or their parents and carers) who attended hospital in November and December 2016 as an inpatient or day case patient.

Nationally the survey received 34,708 completed questionnaires, a response rate of 26%. Patients were eligible to participate in the survey if they were admitted to hospital as an inpatient or day case and aged between 15 days and 15 years old when discharged between the 1 November and 31 December 2016.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

• The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust provides acute treatment and care for a catchment population of around 500,000 people in Bath, and the surrounding towns and villages in North East Somerset and Western Wiltshire. The hospital provides healthcare to the population served by four Clinical Commissioning Groups: Bath & North East Somerset CCG, Wiltshire CCG, Somerset CCG and South Gloucestershire CCG.
• The Trust has 759 beds and a comprehensive range of acute services including medicine and surgery, services for women and children, accident and emergency services, and diagnostic and clinical support services.
• In 2015 The Royal United Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was acquired the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD) NHS Foundation Trust. The RNHRD treats patients from across the country offering services in rheumatology, chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome/ME.
• The RUH is changing - we have an exciting programme of redevelopment underway transforming our site and further improving the services we provide. The Trust is now working towards building a purpose built RNHRD and Therapies Centre and a new Dyson Cancer Centre. For more details visit: www.ruh.nhs.uk/fit4future

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