Following a successful pilot, Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals are launching a new Patient Comments card on all adult inpatient ward areas.    The new Patient Comments card seeks the views of patients or their carers on a range of issues including satisfaction with doctors and nurses, explanations about tests and treatment, and whether services were provided in privacy.   Other areas covered are cleanliness and food.

“By introducing this Patient Comments card we are trying to make a direct link between comments made by patients or their carers and improvements on Wards,” says Michaela Morris, Director of Nursing and Operations.   “Each Ward area will report back on the comments they have received and the action they have taken.   It is important to us that we respond to the views of people who use our services and we want to ensure that the views of patients have a direct impact on the service used.”

Each Ward area will enter the results of the cards onto a database with the aim of getting a minimum number of cards completed each month.   The data will be reviewed on a regular basis at Ward meetings and by the Trust’s Matrons on a monthly basis.   It will also be reviewed by the Trust’s ‘Patients First Steering Group’ on which members of the Trust’s ‘Patient Panel’ are represented.

Commenting on the development Patient Panel Chairman, Dr Maurice Cohen said: “We welcome this development both as members of the Trust’s Patient’s Panel and as users of the Trust’s services.   I would encourage all patients to complete a Patient Comments card when they are ready to leave hospital.  Only by getting honest and constructive feedback can we help the nurses, doctors and managers improve services for the local population.”

The Patient Comment card is being introduced on Monday 5th November and the first quarterly reports to patients will appear on the Ward areas in February 2008.

The Patient Comments cards are being introduced into the following adult inpatient Ward areas:

Ashford Hospital

·          Chaucer Ward

·          Dickens Ward

·          Wordsworth Ward

St.  Peter’s Hospital

·          Aspen Ward

·          Birch Ward

·          Cedar Ward

·          Coronary Care Unit

·          Elm Ward

·          Falcon Ward

·          High Dependency Units

·          Holly Ward

·          Intensive Care

·          Juniper Ward

·          Kestrel Ward

·          Kingfisher Ward

·          Maple Ward

·          May Ward

The introduction of the Patient Comments card does not replace the Patient Advice and Liaison Service or the ‘Comments and Suggestions’, ‘Patient Advice and Liaison’, and ‘Complaints’ leaflets which will remain widely available across the Trust’s two hospitals.