Lewisham and Greenwich NHS 'worse than expected' in patient survey

The National Inpatient survey looked at the experiences of over 60,000 people, aged 16 or over, who stayed at least one night in hospital during November 2021.

The survey asked questions about:

- Waiting times - for example, 'How long do you feel you had to wait to get a bed on a ward after you arrived at the hospital?'

- Quality of care - for example, 'Did you have confidence and trust in the doctors treating you?' 

- Communication for example, 'Did you get told something by a member of staff that was different to what you had been told by another member of staff?'

- Cleanliness for example, 'How clean was the hospital room or ward you were in?'

- Patient involvement in care for example, 'To what extent did staff looking after you involve you in decisions about your treatment and care?'

The results

Out of 134 NHS Trusts, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust are placed in the bottom 5% performers.

6 trusts were categorised as ‘worse than expected’, and one as ‘much worse than expected’, resulting in a total of seven trusts in the lowest bands.

Six trusts identified as achieving ‘worse than expected’ results:

· Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

· Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

· Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

· Medway NHS Foundation Trust

· North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

· The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust have received 'worse than expected' results for the second year running.

National Key areas for improvement

Meeting patients’ fundamental needs

• 70% of patients said they always received help to wash or keep themselves clean, compared with 75% previously.
• Furthermore, 65% of patients said they always got help to eat their meals, compared with 69% previously.
• Fewer patients said they could always get help from staff when they needed it: 63% compared with 67% previously.
• 38% of patients were involved ‘a great deal’ in decisions about their discharge, down from 40% previously.
• Less than half (45%) of respondents ‘definitely’ knew what would happen next with their care after leaving hospital (46% in 2020).
• Nearly three-quarters (73%) of patients said they were told who to contact if they were worried about their condition or treatment after leaving hospital; down from 76% previously.
• Fewer patients said staff discussed with them whether they may need further health and social care services after leaving hospital: 79% compared with 81% previously.
• After leaving hospital, less than half (46%) of patients said they definitely got enough support from health and social care services to help them recover or manage their condition, which is also a decrease compared with 51% previously.