Action needed on NHS staff shortages and retention rates, says CQC as it releases patient feedback
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has voiced disappointment over the results of its latest annual survey of hospital inpatients, which were released on 21 August.
When patients were asked about their experience of being discharged from hospital, just one in three (33 per cent) said they had been involved ‘a great deal’ in the decisions made about their discharge.
This was a notable drop from the 37 per cent who expressed this view in 2022. Less than half of the survey respondents (44 per cent) said they ‘definitely’ knew what would happen next in their care after leaving hospital – down from 45 per cent in 2022.
Meanwhile, fewer people said that staff discussed the need for further support from health and social care services with them before they were discharged (77 per cent in 2023 compared
Nicola Wise, the CQC’s director of secondary and specialist healthcare, said: ‘It’s disappointing that we haven’t seen more improvement in patient experience since the last time the survey was carried out. Overall, satisfaction rates remain far lower than they were pre-Covid with delays in accessing care and poorly coordinated discharge from hospital both clear factors impacting on the quality of people’s hospital stay.
Elective care concerns
Ms Wise said it was ‘concerning’ that increasing numbers of people felt that their health had deteriorated while they waited for elective care, saying this finding offered ‘further evidence’ that the current imbalance between patient demand and treatment capacity was ‘putting people at risk’.
She stressed that NHS staff and leaders were striving to minimise delays, manage the flow of patients from admission through to discharge and provide compassionate person-centred care.
Ms Wise added: ‘But as pressures persist, ensuring the best possible experience throughout the entirety of the patient journey is a task that needs input from all parts of the health and care system.
‘It also needs to be supported by continued efforts to address staff shortages, improve retention of our highly skilled workforce and ensure recognition of the commitment and dedication from frontline staff.’
The survey also found that fewer people reported that staff had discussed the need for further support from health and social care services with them before they were discharged (77 per cent in 2023 compared to 79 per cent in 2022, and 81 per cent in 2020).
More than 60,000 people surveyed
The 2023 adult inpatient survey captured the views and experiences of more than 63,500 people who stayed in one of 131 acute and specialist NHS trusts in England for at least one night during November last year. It has been carried out annually since 2002 and is the longest running survey in CQC’s NHS Patient Survey Programme.
But as pressures persist, ensuring the best possible experience throughout the entirety of the patient journey is a task that needs input from all parts of the health and care system [Nicola Wise]
Results covering waiting times also continued to decline. Four respondents in 10 (42 per cent) who were in hospital for elective care in 2023 said they would have liked to have been admitted sooner (compared to 39 per cent who said this in 2022).
In addition, 43 per cent said their health deteriorated while waiting to be admitted (up from 41 per cent in 2022). Of those who reported a decline in their condition, a quarter (25 per cent) said it got ‘a bit worse’ and just under a fifth (18 per cent) said it got ‘much worse’.
Seven patients in 10 (70 per cent) reported ‘always’ receiving help to wash or keep themselves clean (unchanged from 2022, but still down from 75 per cent in 2020). And the proportion of people who needed help from staff to eat their meals that said they ‘always’ got that help fell slightly from 65 per cent in 2022 to 64 per cent in 2023 – and remains significantly lower than in 2020 when it was 69 per cent.
Spotlight on older people
Overall, most respondents remained positive about their interactions with doctors and nurses – as has been the case in previous years. Satisfaction with staffing levels showed a slight improvement in 2023.
Responses to the 2023 survey show that people admitted for emergency care, those who were considered frail, and those with dementia, Alzheimer’s or a condition affecting their mobility all reported poorer than average experiences for most questions analysed.
By contrast, older people who were in hospital for an elective admission – and those who stayed in hospital for only one night – were generally more positive about their care.
For further information about the 2023 adult inpatients survey, including the national summary of results, click
Author: I A McMillan
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