Patients give local health services thumbs up
07/09/2005
Patients have rated Cotswold and Vale Primary Care Trust in the top 20 per cent of trusts in the country in 24 out of 35 measures in the biggest single national test of patient opinion about primary care.
The Healthcare Commission has today published patient survey reports on 303 primary care trusts across England and Wales after quizzing almost 120,000 registered patients.
Patients were asked a range of questions about making an appointment with and visiting a GP, seeing other health professionals from a health centre, dental care and health promotion.
"I am very encouraged by these results," said Richard James, Cotswold and Vale PCT chief executive. "What patients say is extremely important to me. We are determined to provide the best possible healthcare for our local communities and design our services around patients' needs and wants. I am pleased that on the vast majority of measures where we can compare we have improved our relative position to where we were in 2004.
"We will be looking very carefully at these results and seeing what we can learn to improve our services further."
In the 35 ratings published, Cotswold and Vale PCT was rated in the top 20 per cent of PCTs in 24, in the intermediate 60 per cent in nine and in the lowest 20 per cent in two.
Key findings in the survey of patients in Cotswold and Vale included:
* 83% of patients said that they had complete confidence and trust in the doctor they saw
* 97% of people said the doctor they saw always treated them with dignity and respect
* 83% reported being seen by their GP as soon as they thought was necessary
* 84% of dental patients had complete confidence and trust in their dentist
* 74% of dental patients said their dentist explained completely the reasons for any treatment or action in a way they could understand.
The findings come on top of figures published last week by the Department of Health showing that GPs in Cotswold and Vale are among some of the best in the country in the management of common chronic diseases, such as heart disease, asthma and diabetes. GP practices in Cotswold and Vale scored almost 97% of total points available under the new Quality and Outcomes Framework - against a national average of 91 per cent. These scores will bring in extra funding that will be reinvested into services to benefit patients.
"Whichever way you measure it - using patients' views or quality and outcomes indicators - it is clear that primary care in Cotswold and Vale is among the very best there is and is getting better still," said Mr James.
