Crushing blow for hospital

Stafford Hospital has been rocked by a damning report which ranks many aspects of its care among the worst in the country.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was placed in the lowest 20 per cent in more than two-thirds of responses from patients who took part in a survey released today. The trust was bottom-placed in many crucial areas such as cleanliness, privacy, patient dignity and A&E admissions. 

The Healthcare Commission’s NHS Inpatient Survey quizzed patients about their experiences at Stafford and Cannock hospitals, along with others across the UK. 

Its findings will come as a further blow to health bosses desperate to improve the trust’s image.

Questions which placed the trust in the bottom 20 per cent, highlighted in red in the survey, included:

* Were you given enough privacy when being examined or treated in the emergency department?

* In your opinion, how clean was the hospital room or ward that you were in?

* As far as you know, did doctors and nurses wash or clean their hands before touching patients?

Martin Yeates, chief executive of the trust, admitted he was “disappointed” with the results but said major changes had been implemented since the survey was carried out last year.