Scottish Inpatient Experience Survey 2016 Volume 1: National Results

Results - Care and Treatment

Summary

People mainly rated their care and treatment positively, over nine out of ten ( 90 per cent) rated their care and treatment as 'excellent' or 'good'.

In general, results for questions relating to care and treatment either remained steady or improved from the previous survey in 2014. The only exception to this was in relation to help with eating and drinking, which saw a decrease in the positive response.

The least positive findings related to involvement in decisions about care and treatment. A significant number of people were either not involved in decisions as much as they would like or felt that the people that mattered to them ( e.g. friends and family) were not involved as much as they would like.

In both cases, the bulk of those not fully involved were involved 'to some extent'. However, these results suggest that there is still scope for improvement.

Overall rating

People were asked to provide an overall rating of the care and treatment that they received. Over nine out of ten ( 90 per cent) rated their treatment and care positively (Figures 16 and 17).

Positive results for NHS Boards varied between 86 per cent and 99 per cent.

Figure 16 overall rating of care and treatment (%)

Figure 17 overall rating of care and treatment (%)

Care and treatment

People were asked the extent to which they agreed with a number of statements covering their care and treatment.

The results for these statements were very favourable, with even the lowest ranked statement receiving a positive response of 84 per cent.

The percentage of people answering positively to questions which related to the help provided from staff ranged from 84 per cent for eating and drinking to 87 per cent for both going to the bathroom / toilet and washing and dressing (Figure 18).

Figure 18 Summary of help provided, when needed (%)

As seen in previous surveys, there was an interesting contrast for the two statements relating to privacy. People rated privacy 'when being examined or treated' most positively ( 94 per cent positive) of all the care and treatment statements. However privacy when their condition and treatment were being discussed was rated six percentage points lower at 88 per cent positive (Figure 19).

Figure 19 Summary of privacy and pain relief (%)

This difference has been evident in even greater degrees in previous surveys ^{[ 8]}, ^{[ 9]}. The discrepancy could be down to the fact that the standard method of creating privacy - drawing a sheet drawn around the bed - may effectively block patients from sight but does little to stop other patients from overhearing any discussions going on within.

Involvement with care and treatment

People were asked the extent to which they were involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

A small percentage of people ( three per cent) noted that they had not wished to be involved in decisions about their care and treatment

Of those that did want to be involved:

• around three in five ( 62 per cent) were definitely involved as much as they wanted to be

• 32 per cent were involved to 'some extent'

• seven per cent had not been involved

This suggests that a large proportion of patients (around two in five, 39 per cent) were not involved as much as they wanted to be.

A similar question was asked regarding the involvement of friends and family in decisions about care and treatment. There was a similar pattern in responses although a larger proportion of people (around one in three ( 32 per cent)) did not need the people that matter to them to be involved.

Amongst those that did want them to be involved:

• around three in five ( 57 per cent) responded that the people that matter to them were 'definitely' involved as much as they had wanted them to be

• 32 per cent responded that they had been involved 'to some extent'

• the remaining 11 per cent responded that the people that matter to them had not been involved

A significant proportion of patients did not therefore receive the involvement of themselves or the people that matter to them that they would have liked. In both cases the bulk of these had involvement 'to some extent', suggesting that the patient and those close to them are not being removed from the decision making process completely. However, the responses still indicate that more could be done to ensure that patients and those close to them are more fully involved in decisions about care and treatment.

Care Taken

People were asked whether staff took adequate care when carrying out physical procedures:

• around four in five ( 81 per cent) felt that staff 'definitely' did take adequate care

• 16 per cent felt adequate care was taken 'to some extent'

• the remaining three per cent felt adequate care was not taken