Publish date: 25 November 2024
Patients of Mid Cheshire Hospitals commend the Trust’s staff and facilities, appreciating the dignity and respect they receive as the Trust receives the highest rating for overall experience in the North West.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertakes an annual survey of people who use urgent and emergency care services. The results of the 2024 survey were released at the end of November 2024 with nearly 400 patients of Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (MCHFT) taking part and responding to the survey.
Overall, the survey gathered the opinions of 35,670 patients across 120 NHS trusts with a major, consultant-led accident and emergency (A&E) department, including Leighton Hospital. An additional 10,325 patient opinions were gathered from 70 of the 120 NHS Trusts with Urgent Treatment and Minor Injury services, including Leighton Hospital and Victoria Infirmary, Northwich. Any patient aged 16 years or older who had visited A&E during February 2024 was eligible to complete the survey.
The Trust scored well on a range of questions assessing the extent to which patients experienced privacy, dignity and respect during their time in A&E.
Of the 9 sections in the survey covering different aspects of care within the A&E department, MCHFT scored highest in the North West for 7 of the 9 categories and highest for overall experience.
Of the 9 sections in the survey covering different aspects of care within the Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) and Urgent Treatment Centres (UTC), MCHFT scored the highest in the North West in 4 of the 9 categories and were in the top 4 for the remaining 5 categories. The Trust also scored the highest for overall experience.
Scott Malton, Chief Nursing Officer at Mid Cheshire Hospitals, said: “I want to thank our patients for taking the time to share their experiences. Feedback like this is invaluable—it highlights what we’re doing well and helps us identify areas for improvement.
“Our staff work tirelessly every day to care for patients in our emergency departments, and I’m thrilled to see their dedication acknowledged in this way with our scores being ranked so highly within our region.”
The full urgent and emergency care survey results can be found here.
The CQC and NHS England use results from the survey to build an understanding of the quality of services available across an area. Listening to patients’ experiences plays a crucial part in delivering services that are safe, effective and continuously improving. Individual trusts can also use the survey to guide and inform their own improvement activities.
