Documentation   Keywords  Publications  Related Studies

Title:
Acute Trusts: Adult Inpatients Survey, 2006

Subject Categories:
Health services and medical care - Health

Depositor(s):
Healthcare Commission

Principal Investigator(s):
Healthcare Commission
Picker Institute Europe

Sponsor(s):
Healthcare Commission
National Health Service

Other Acknowledgements:
Additional funding is provided for the surveys by National Health Service (NHS) trusts throughout England. While some trusts hire an approved survey contractor, others conduct the surveys 'in-house'. Thirteen organisations have been approved by the Care Quality Commission to carry out local NHS trust surveys.

Abstract:
The National Health Service (NHS) programme of patient surveys began in 2003, and was conducted by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI), along with the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI). Administration of the programme was taken over by the Healthcare Commission in time for the 2004 series. On the 1st April 2009, the Care Quality Commission was formed which replaced the Healthcare Commission (users should note that some of the surveys in the series conducted prior to this date will still be attributed to the Healthcare Commission).

The surveys focus on patients' experiences in Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), and in outpatient and accident and emergency departments in Acute Trusts. Understanding what people think about the care and treatment they receive is crucial to improving the quality of care being delivered by healthcare organisations.

The NHS series is one of the largest patient survey programmes in the world. It provides an opportunity to monitor experiences of health care and is an important part of the Care Quality Commission's annual 'health check' of NHS patient services. The surveys cover issues that affect the quality of care that patients receive and have been identified by patients as important to them. The programme aims to:

• provide feedback from patients to health care organisations, which can be used locally for quality improvement
• gather information about the experiences of people using services to inform performance assessments and Care Quality Commission inspections and reviews, at a local level
• assess the performance of health care providers and monitor the experience of patients at a national level
• allow health care organisations to compare their results so that best practice can be shared

Coverage:
Dates of Fieldwork: September 2006-November 2006
Country: England
Spatial Units: Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs);Primary Care Trusts/Care Trusts
Observation Units: Individuals
Kind of Data: Numeric data; Alpha/numeric data; Individual (micro) level

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:National
Population:Adults in England who had had at least one overnight stay in hospital between June and August 2006, and were not maternity or psychiatry patients.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Repeated cross-sectional study
Part of a wider NHS patient survey programme.
Sampling Procedures: Simple random sample
Each of the participating trusts identified a list of 850 eligible patients. The trusts were responsible for ensuring that their survey was carried out following the standard sampling and survey procedures, as set out in the guidance issued to them.
Number of Units: Target: 141,447. Obtained: 80,694.
Method of Data Collection: Postal survey
Weighting: Weighting used. See documentation for details.

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Availability: ESDS Access and Preservation, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: help@esds.ac.uk
Please Note: To preserve respondent confidentiality, several variables within the National Health Service Patient Survey Programme datasets are routinely either removed or recoded before deposit at the UK Data Archive. These include variables covering age and ethnicity, and data for trusts where case numbers are very small. Should users require analysis by ethnicity or access to removed data, they should contact:

Caroline Powell
Deputy Chief Executive
Picker Institute Europe
King's Mead House
Oxpens Road
Oxford OX1 1RX

Tel: +44 (0) 1865 208116
Fax: +44 (0) 1865 208101

Email: caroline.powell@pickereurope.ac.uk
http://www.pickereurope.org

Date of Release:
First Edition: 11 September 2007

Copyright:
Copyright Care Quality Commission

READ File

Download Acrobat PDF Reader