QEH says 98 per cent happy with care received

A recent survey conducted at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital shows 98 per cent of respondents are satisfied with inpatient care and services.

However, ambulance delays, unsatisfactory meals and high ward temperatures generated significant complaints.

“Many patients, when they come into the hospital, they’re actually seen and co-managed by multiple specialties,” Dr Rhea Corbin-Harte explained. “It is a team approach. And we found that 98 per cent of the respondents said that they felt their care was well coordinated between the specialties.”

She praised the collaboration among staff on the wards and stressed the importance of using patient feedback to inform ongoing improvements. Patient comments reflected a positive overall experience on the ward. “Persons said things like, ‘Everything was OK’, ‘The doctors are doing a good job’, ‘The nurses were really amazing, sweet and helpful’,” she reported.

However, Dr Corbin-Harte said, “We do have a negative comment… they said that the ambulance took too long to come for them.”

Another recurring concern was the temperature on the wards. “The staff are nice. The ward is hot and needs fans,” Dr Corbin-Harte said in quoting one patient’s specific words. Another patient said, “The food was a lot better on the ward than before.”

Some patients expressed discomfort with the limited privacy on the wards. Dr Corbin-Harte said this issue requires “a delicate balance between privacy and safety. The more private you are, the less accessible and the less the nurses can see you.”

She said, “A patient’s doctor has to accept that that patient is fit to be on a private ward because if you are too ill, that would not be a safe place for you.”

The Accident & Emergency Department initially received a positive satisfaction rate of 83 per cent, with 65 per cent of patients satisfied and 18 per cent very satisfied. However, a subsequent measure showed a decrease to 63 per cent positive feedback, with 14 per cent of patients expressing dissatisfaction, indicating areas that require improvement.

“We want to applaud the A&E team for continuing to do whatever they can to make patients feel as comfortable as possible,” Dr Corbin-Harte said, while acknowledging there were still challenges that needed to be addressed.

She also admitted that communication between departments and with patients’ relatives needed some attention. “According to the survey, we are communicating with the patient, but not as much with the patient’s relative,” she revealed. “These are the persons who the patient will be coming home to… and they’re obviously invested in the patient’s condition and care.”

When asked whether patients received sufficient information about their diagnosis, treatment, and medication, 90 per cent said yes. But Dr Corbin-Harte described the remaining 10 per cent as “significant”. She stressed that when patients are uninformed, “they’re not going to feel comfortable… and they’re not going to follow the treatment plan.”

She advised patients to be empowered by asking questions and taking notes, “If you know your information, you are better able to explain yourself and advocate for yourself.”

Based on the survey results, satisfaction with hospital meals in A&E was relatively low, with only 46 per cent of patients expressing satisfaction. The meals are designed to meet medical requirements, such as low salt and clear fluids.

“For our Accident and Emergency, we had 35 per cent of our respondents saying satisfied and about 11 per cent saying very satisfied,” she said. While acknowledging it is not fine dining, she explained dietary options are guided by medical needs. “It is not going to be like when you go to a restaurant… if your doctor says clear fluids only, you may just get broth.”

One caller to the show expressed concern that her diabetic relative was served overly sweet tea, despite dietary instructions being clearly written. Dr Corbin-Harte acknowledged the concern and noted it aligned with findings that around 30 per cent of respondents were dissatisfied with food service.

The QEH also received a major donation – a $1.7 million 128-slice CT scanner – from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is expected to speed up diagnostics. “That will help us to speed up the time that we get back those diagnoses to the patients so that we can advance their care,” Dr Corbin-Harte said.

She revealed that the survey process is ongoing. “It is not a one-and-done. If the needs of the patients change, then we would need to pivot and change with that as well.”  (LG)