ARROWE Park Hospital has received top marks in a CQC patient survey for 2022.

Doctors, nurses and support staff in the Emergency Department (ED) at Wirral University Hospital (WUTH), which has its main Emergency Department at Arrowe Park Hospital, received a score of nine out of ten when patients were asked ‘Did you have confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses treating you?’

The question was included in the National Urgent and Emergency Care Patient Experience survey of A&E departments in England, carried out for the Care Quality Commission in September 2022 with results announced yesterday (Tuesday, July 25).

Wirral Hospitals CEO Janelle Holmes, said: "Colleagues in our Emergency Department are a dedicated team, working in a very busy, pressured environment. They care for patients who are often anxious and worried.

"It’s so encouraging for our staff to know that their patients, often at their most vulnerable, have a really positive experience of our care.

"The number of patients attending our Emergency Department continues to rise with the summer as busy as the winter. So we know that these results have been achieved during a challenging picture of demand."

Janelle added: "We’re investing over £30m in a new Urgent and Emergency Care department at Arrowe Park and so to achieve this fantastic feedback, whilst running our Emergency Department at the same time as the building works are going on, is a great testament to the outstanding care given by our staff."

What did the results say?

WUTH’s Emergency Department and Services were banded ‘Better’ or ‘Somewhat Better’ than most trusts for eight questions and about the same as other trusts for 29 questions in the survey.

None of the questions resulted in a ‘Worse than’ others banding. The section in relation to Care and Treatment was also banded as somewhat better as other trusts.

Of the nine sections in the survey covering different aspects of care, Arrowe Park scored top marks in the North West of England region for five categories - ‘Experience overall’, ‘Leaving A&E’, ‘Care and Treatment’, 'Tests' and ‘Doctors and Nurses’.

The eight questions that scored the best for the Trust in the ‘Better’ and ‘Somewhat Better’ banding, when compared to other NHS trusts with Accident and Emergency Departments, were:

Better

  • Did you have confidence and trust in the doctors and nurses examining and treating you?
  • Sometimes, a member of staff will say one thing, and another will say something quite different. Did this happen to you?
  • Did hospital staff discuss with you whether you may need further health or social care services after leaving A&E?
  • After leaving A&E, was the care and support you expected available when you needed it?

Somewhat Better

  • Did you have enough time to discuss your condition with the doctor or nurse?
  • If you had any anxieties or fears about your condition or treatment, did a doctor or nurse discuss them with you?
  • Were you involved as much as you wanted to be in decisions about your care and treatment?
  • Did staff give you enough information to help you care for your condition at home?

Construction work is well underway at Arrowe Park building the £30m extension to the hospital, to create a new Emergency Department in the largest single capital investment for the Trust in its 41-year history.