Patient experience concerns at Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust

The Care Quality Commission’s 2024 Adult Inpatient Survey shows that Lewisham & Greenwich NHS Trust is among the lowest performing trusts nationally for overall patient experience, scoring worse than expected compared with other similar trusts. Patients reported poorer experiences around basic needs (meals, drinks, and personal care), communication with doctors and nurses, and being treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.

These survey findings echo what Healthwatch Greenwich has heard directly from patients and families through our Enter and View programme at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. We have been visiting wards to speak with patients and observe care first-hand, gathering valuable insight into the experiences of adult inpatients. Serving as a trusted system partner, we have shared this feedback with the Trust, escalating our suggestions for improvement to ward leadership and working collaboratively to ensure that changes focus on what matters most to patients.

Healthwatch Greenwich is concerned about the impact these issues have on local residents who rely on the Trust for safe, high-quality care. We know staff are working under pressure, but patients must feel confident that their care consistently meets fundamental standards of dignity and respect.

We will continue to raise these findings at the Health & Wellbeing Board and with other system partners, seeking assurance that robust improvement plans are in place and that residents’ voices remain central to shaping those improvements.