ADULT inpatient services at Morecambe Bay Trust hospitals have shown continued improvement according to the results of a survey.

The results of the National Adult Inpatient Survey 2017 published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) included feedback from 521 patients.

UHMBT rated significantly better on 13 of the 62 questions than the other trusts who commissioned Picker Institute Europe to carry out the survey.

The Trust scored the same as the other Trusts on the remaining 49 questions.

87 per cent felt they were treated with dignity and respect, 86 per cent of respondents always had trust and confidence in their doctors, 98 per cent felt the room or ward they received care in was very or fairly clean and 91 per cent felt that there was enough privacy when being examined or treated.

However, although feedback for the overall views of care and services was similar to other Trust's in the country, it only scored a total of 4.6 out of 10.

Compared with its own results in the 2016 survey, the Trust has performed significantly better in four areas - having to wait a long time for a bed when admitted; not enough nurses being on duty; delays on discharge from hospital; and families not being given enough information to help care when loved ones are discharged from hospital.

Aaron Cummins, chief executive, UHMBT, said: “Listening to patients and staff about their experiences whilst in our care – what we do well and where we can improve – is absolutely essential. In fact, as the chief executive, I believe the feedback from our patients and staff is the most important measure of my own performance.

“These results help to demonstrate what we have all been working towards and focusing on with our communities, stakeholders and commissioners, which is providing positive outcomes and an improved patient experience.”

He added that there was still 'lots of work' to do to further improve but hat the results showed the Trust was 'on the right path'.

"The culture in our Trust has shifted dramatically over recent years, and whilst we might not always get it right, there are numerous examples of where our staff go above and beyond to offer the best experience to our patients - from a nurse searching a local bus station after a long shift to find a patient’s lost wedding ring to our surgical team developing a bespoke admission plan for a patient with learning difficulties who was scared of coming into hospital," he said.