DoH announces results of patient choice survey

The Department of Health (DoH) has announced the results of its latest national patient choice survey.

Commissioned to assess the implementation of choice at primary care trust level, the 12th such questionnaire assembled around 109,000 responses to a range of questions.

According to the findings of the March 2008, the percentage of patients being offered a choice of hospital for their first outpatient appointment rose one per cent form January to 27 per cent.

In the first study conducted in May-June 2006, the figure was 30 per cent.

Furthermore, 43 per cent of patients were aware before they visited their GP that they would able to choose their hospital for their first appointment, up from 29 per cent in the first survey.

“Hospital cleanliness and low infection rates were selected most often – by 75 per cent of patients – as an important factor when choosing a hospital,” the DoH said.

It added that 79 per cent of patients were satisfied with their waiting time from referral to their meeting with a specialist.

In July 2008, the NHS published national operation survival rates for four common procedures as part of ongoings plans to increase patient choice.