Want to improve how your Trust responds to patient feedback?

One of the key features of NHS Choices is the patient feedback facility.From launch in June 2007, the public has been able to write and post feedback on their hospital experience and to date, over 7,000 comments have been posted. Patients are asked to provide feedback on what they liked and suggestions they may have for how things could be improved.

The volume of patient feedback has risen significantly since the facility appeared on the home page of NHS Choices. NHS Choices' site traffic currently stands at 4 million visitors per month, and with all of NHS Direct's online health content now on NHS Choices, this figure is expected to rise rapidly. It is expected therefore, that the level of patient feedback will continue to rise too.

All comments are pre-moderated and, importantly, Trusts can post a reply to each comment made about care delivered in their hospitals. Each time a new comment appears on NHS Choices, an alert is sent to a nominated recipient in the Trust.

This guide details how Hospital Trusts can get the most out of the patient feedback facility on NHS Choices. There are three main reasons why publishing patient feedback on NHS Choices is a positive development for Hospital Trusts:

• Feedback from previous patients is a useful source of information for others who may be in the process of making a decision on their choice of provider.

• The vast majority of patients are very satisfied with the care they receive.

• A constant source of responsibly moderated patient feedback is very helpful for Trusts as a driver of service improvement and provides public recognition of the high quality of care delivered.

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