Patiently Waiting. A review of patient experience from the Accident and Emergency Department at Manchester Royal Infirmary Hospital
In collaboration with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, a survey questionnaire was developed for face to face interviews with patients in the A&E waiting area of the MRI.
- Have you contacted or been to any other health or care services before coming to A&E today?
- What was your experience like using that service prior to your visit to A&E?
- How has your experience of the A&E service been so far
Three HWM staff conducted the surveys and in total spoke with 107 people, both patients and carers and in order to provide a more comprehensive and diverse level of data capture, the A&E department was visited at three different times of the day: morning, afternoon and evening.
HWM found that there are a significant number of people being referred to A&E through their GP or the 111 service.
Moreover, we found that people aged between 18 and 29 years appear to be over-represented in the A&E service and that people from the M14 postcode area and from minority ethnic backgrounds also appear to be overrepresented in the A&E service.
HWM have recommended that communication, both inter-service (Between GPs, the 111 service and A&E) and for patients for whom English is a second language, require a review to examine efficiency gains and improve patient experience.
