Put people power into action to improve the NHS,
The NHS Choices website at http://www.nhs.uk allows patients to review the services they received in hospital and share their experiences with other patients, empowering patients to directly influence the quality of care they receive.
The five key areas patients are asked to comment on are:
* dignity and respect;
* cleanliness;
* whether doctors and nurses worked well together;
* If patients felt they were involved in decisions around their care; and
* if they would recommend the hospital to friends and family.
As consumers, if we buy an item from eBay, or go to a restaurant, we rightly expect to be able to give feedback on the service received. The NHS should be no different and for something as important as healthcare, patients should make their views known and shout loudly if their care was substandard and equally if it was great.
NHS Choices is today issuing each Trust in England with a guide on how to make the best use of patient comments, by encouraging as many hospital patients and visitors as possible to leave feedback, and also how to respond online.