Jersey General Hospital praised in survey

A patient survey commissioned by Jersey's health department found the island hospital was as good as or better than those in the UK.

About 500 people responded to the survey about their experiences at the Jersey General Hospital.

The health department commissioned the survey to compare Jersey's hospital with NHS trusts in the UK.

It identified some areas where people wanted to see improvements including the discharging of patients.

The survey of in-patients was undertaken by the Picker Institute Europe.

It found there was inadequate storage for personal belongings. It also found patients wanted more access to same-sex washrooms and wards.

En-suite facilities

Jersey's Picker survey showed that for 85% of the questions the island was equal to or better than the comparative UK figures. For 37% of the questions, Jersey ranked significantly better than the UK average.

The health department said it was addressing that concern with plans to provide single rooms with en-suite facilities in the new hospital.

Hospital director of operations Angela Body said: "This is a very significant means of bench-marking against the NHS trusts who look after patients in the UK.

"While we can and will always strive to keep improving our care, it is good to see that the care delivered in Jersey ranks on the whole better than that provided across UK hospitals - this is a tribute to our skilled and dedicated staff."

Deputy director Gary Kynman said a balance had to be struck between giving patients more storage space and controlling the spread of infection.

He said changes would be made, with many coming with the £297m hospital redevelopment.