We are approaching a very exciting period for the NHS Patient Survey Programme, with five surveys publishing results later in the year and in early 2022:
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2020 Urgent and Emergency Care (publication estimated September 2021)
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2020 Adult Inpatients (publication estimated October 2021)
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2021 Community Mental Health (publication estimated November 2021)
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2020 Children and Young People (publication estimated December 2021)
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2021 Maternity (publication estimated January 2022)
For full details, please see the survey programme which sets out dates for future surveys, and expected publication dates.
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We’ve been reviewing the reports and data we generate as part of the NHS Patient Survey Programme to make them better for the people who use them. While this is an exciting opportunity to try new things, it is also important to us to make sure that we continue to meet your needs.
Thank you to all of you who took part in our recent data user survey.
In the survey we asked about how you engage with our work, and how we could improve your experience. We will share with you the findings of this work in the next newsletter.
If you have any further feedback for us about the work we do, please email Patient.Survey@cqc.org.uk
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In the previous newsletter we outlined our plans to review the benchmark reports that we provide to trusts who participate in our surveys. Since then, we have conducted a detailed review of these reports and produced new and improved benchmark report templates considering all the helpful feedback we received.
The aim of the re-development was to ensure the trust-level benchmark reports provide maximum value for trusts and other stakeholders. Our colleagues at Ipsos MORI assessed the current reports available to trusts, conducted qualitative interviews with NHS trusts, stakeholders, contractors and the Coordination Centre for Existing Methods (Picker), and launched an online patient survey.
The findings from this work showed that there are two key ways that the data from the benchmark reports are used by trusts: to monitor change over time; and, to compare performance to other trusts. Trusts suggested ways that we could maximise the usefulness of the report, including:
- Present the data in a visually engaging way, including stating headline findings upfront using infographics, and using charts/graphs to present trust-level data. This would add to the utility and accessibility of the reports, allowing trusts to easily disseminate findings.
- Provide more nuanced data to clearly identify areas of improvement for the trust to use in action planning.
- Improving how change over time is presented, for example using line-graphs to demonstrate trends where appropriate.
- Continuing to include section scores where appropriate (looking at performance across overall questions themes) and providing infographics to illustrate how this compares with other trusts.
The templates we have produced are based on the 2020 Adult Inpatient Survey, but the rest of the survey programme will follow the same format. We are in the final stages of refining the template reports, considering feedback from other stakeholders. We would like to thank the trusts and stakeholders who have provided helpful and valuable feedback to us about the benchmark reports.
If you would like to share any final thoughts or feedback about the benchmark reports, or have any questions about our redevelopment work, please contact Christopher.Sutherland@cqc.org.uk.
In previous newsletters we have outlined some of the work we are doing to improve and future-proof the survey programme, by encouraging people to complete questionnaires online wherever possible, rather than only using paper questionnaires. Moving the entire survey programme to mixed mode is a long-term project that will span over the coming years. We will be documenting this development on a new webpage that can be found on the CQC surveys website. Here we will be sharing knowledge to help further develop methodological work in this area.
Following a successful pilot, the 2020 Adult Inpatient Survey featured both online and paper questionnaires, using SMS and postal reminders and the newly launched API system for sample uploads. Similarly, Maternity 2021 has also moved to mixed-mode this year and like the Adult Inpatient Survey, is being coordinated by our colleagues at Ipsos MORI.
It is part of the strategic aim of the NHS Patient Survey Programme to adopt a mixed mode approach across all the surveys. Some of the surveys face their own unique challenges for moving to online methods, we are testing the feasibility of each using pilots and other evaluative methods:
- The results from Children’s Survey pilot were mixed. We are investigating ways that we can work with trusts to assess the feasibility of transitioning to mixed mode in the future.
- A pilot to test the Community Mental Health survey using online and paper questionnaires is being developed, with results expected next year.
- A pilot to test the feasibility of moving the Urgent and Emergency Care survey to mixed-mode will be developed next year.
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Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, health and social care services have faced unpresented challenges. From the impact on admission numbers, to the use of PPE, the pandemic has affected the way patients use and experience NHS services. Conducting patient experience surveys during this time provides us with a unique opportunity to assess whether the pandemic has impacted how patients feel about the care they received.
Here are some of the ways that the NHS Patient Survey Programme has been adapted to assess the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic in our upcoming survey publications:
- We are collecting sample variables to see how many participants had COVID-19, or were suspected of having COVID-19, when they used NHS services. This will allow us to investigate whether experiences differed across these patients.
- Following advice and guidance from our clinical stakeholders, we have added new questions to our surveys where relevant to assess certain aspects of care that might have been impacted by the pandemic.
- Parents in the Children’s Survey can tell us whether they were able to be with their child as much as they needed to be during their hospital stay. Likewise, the Inpatient Survey asks participants whether they stayed on a coronavirus ward or experienced any restrictions on visitations due to the virus. The Urgent and Emergency Care survey collected data about the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and infection control measures.
- In March, Tamatha Webster presented findings from the COVID-19 Survey at the recent MRS Conference.
- Earlier on in the spring we welcomed Stacey Smith, Analyst Team leader, back to the team as she returned from maternity leave. Libbie Read also joined us as a Graduate Analyst who will be providing support to the team over the upcoming publication period.
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Thank you to everyone who has given their time to participate in, or share feedback with us, as part of our work to trial online survey methods and the redevelopment of the benchmark reports. If you would like to participate in future development work, or share your views on any aspect of our work please contact: Patient.Survey@cqc.org.uk
Look out for our next newsletter in the Autumn.
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