Hospitals need advocates!

Interesting statistic referred to by Polly Toynbee in the Guardian last week:

"Research shows patients tell at least 10 people about a bad treatment but only one or two about a good experience. Bad anecdotes ricochet around for years, yet polls show 80% of hospital patients report good treatment."

This illustrates the problem a local hospital might face in promoting the good work it does for the community. One problem can obscure the masses of good work we all know they do.

TCC has worked with many hospitals to recruit members as they become Foundation Trusts. However we believe members role should not just be passive. Foundation Trust members have the potential to sing the praises of their local hospital to everyone they know as well as expressing their general support for the NHS as an institution.

The research that Polly Toynbee refers to shows the need for Foundation Trust members to be engaged and, along with staff and patients, act as a strong advocate for the good experiences that hospitals deliver day in, day out.

Comments

[Jonathan]

Also new research from the US indicates that patients and doctors are more and more likely to base their choice of hospital on nonclinical aspects of a visit—like convenience and amenities.Only twenty percent of a patient’s choice of hospital is based on its clinical reputation, remarkably, about 41 percent is based on the nonclinical patient experience.For example patients prefer hospitals that keep them better informed or conduct appointments on time.

Crucially for hospitals Doctors’ recommendations about choice of hospital appear to be influenced not only by the capabilities of hospitals but increasingly by the patients’ preferences.