Andrew Lansley said: “Patients must have more say and more choice.” Patient Opinion succeeds in giving them more say; the only question is: will the government listen?
Rob Macpherson researched and co-authored the ‘In their words: What patients think about our NHS’ report; he blogs here in a personal capacity
From GPs to nurses, health experts to hospital managers; we’ve heard the concerns of almost every NHS stakeholder group except the one that matters most – patients. The extent of the NHS reforms were nowhere to be found in the Conservative manifesto coalition agreement. If the changes are to be thrust upon the public now, then patients need to be asked what they want improved.
A report titled ‘In their words: What patients think of the NHS’, released last week by NHS feedback website Patient Opinion, did just that. They took more than 11,000 accounts of healthcare experiences posted on the site over the past five years and focused on the most critical negative postings to find where patients felt the NHS needs to improve.
The results highlight a gulf between Andrew Lansley’s rhetoric and the opinions of everyday patients. The main thrust of the healthcare reforms focus on providing choice to patients.
Lansley said:
“We want to go further than simply offering people a choice of hospital. Patients should have choice at every stage of the journey – where they register with a GP, where they go for tests, who they see for treatment, and what care or treatment they receive from any willing provider.”
However, figures from the Patient Opinion report show that only three per cent of patients who posted a negative story perceived ‘choice of provider’ as a problem with their care experience.
Instead the report showed staff attitudes as the biggest criticism, with one in three patients in the sample perceiving a problem. The findings raise further questions over the need for such expansive top-down reforms when patients’ satisfaction relies heavily on personable factors that staff can remedy with no restructuring and minimal financial investment.
Lansley said:
“Patients must have more say and more choice.”
Patient Opinion succeeds in giving them more say; the only question is: will the government listen?
Want to share your NHS experience or compare account from other patients who were treated at your local hospital? Visit www.patientopinion.org.uk
25 Responses to “Will Lansley listen to Patient Opinion?”
Alex Smith
RT @leftfootfwd: Will Lansley listen to Patient Opinion? http://bit.ly/igFxMm
Mister Jabberwock
Firstly that is a very poor way of presenting data graphically – pretty though it may look.
But you just don’t get it. People don’t complain about the choice of providers (something they don’t experience) they complain about things like staff attitude and responsiveness (which they do experience).
BUT the way to fix those bad experiences is to bring in alternative providers so that the ones that have staff with better attitudes and are more responsive can be chosen.
What is so difficult to understand about that.
scandalousbill
Mister Jabberwock,
You say:
“But you just don’t get it. People don’t complain about the choice of providers (something they don’t experience) they complain about things like staff attitude and responsiveness (which they do experience).”
BUT the way to fix those bad experiences is to bring in alternative providers so that the ones that have staff with better attitudes and are more responsive can be chosen.”
Do you seriously believe that the patient experience will figure at all in the selection criterion to bring in privatization of the NHS? It would seem that the so called value for money mantra touted by the Tory led coalition is cheaper, not better. If you look at the cases of private care provided to the aged and disabled, it is hard to see that much quality of service improvements have been provided by the private sector is as bad, and in most cases worse, than current provisions.
Stephen W
It’s just not true that the NHS changes were nowhere in the Conservative and Lib Dem manifestos. GP commissioning, all hospitals becoming foundations, abolition of PCT’s were all in the manifestos.
By all means claim that the changes are a bad idea if you want to. But it’s not true to claim they weren’t in the manifesto.
Editor
@Stephen W,
thank you for your comment. We have now amended the piece as appropriate.