'Cleaner hospitals' more important to patients than choice, UK
The BMA survey released today [26 June 2005], was conducted by YouGov Omnibus polls between 17-20 June and 2009 people were questioned.
Respondents were asked the following:
Below is a list of possible ways in which the government might spend money on improving the NHS. Please indicate for each one, how important it is to you personally. Please give each item a score from 0 to 10 where 0 is "wholly unimportant" and 10 is "very important".
The list of options provided to respondents and how they rated them is below:
Cleaner hospitals 9.23/10
Improved A&E 8.52/10
Shorter waits for out-patients app 8.42/10
Research into new treatments 8.35/10
More funds for prevention 8.07/10
Better out of hours care 7.89/10
Expanded family doctor (GP) services 7.83/10
More time with doctor 7.26/10
Better hospital food 6.51/10
Choice of where to have an operation 6.43/10
BMA Chairman, Mr James Johnson, made the following comment:
"This survey shows what is most important to the public. Patients are obviously extremely worried about hospital acquired infections and quite rightly patients want their hospitals to be clean, they want improved A&E services, shorter waits and increased funding for research and new treatment.
"It seems what is not so important to them is the choice of where to have their operation. The BMA has been saying for a long time that patients are not so interested in a choice of five hospitals but they want a good service, in a clean local hospital."
The Co-Chair of the BMA, Patient Liaison Group, Barbara Wood, added:
"These figures suggest that quick and easy access to services - particularly Accident and Emergency - is a higher priority for patients than being able to choose where they go. While members of the public want shorter waiting times, they don't appear to share the government's view that more choice is the only way to get them. It's interesting that more investment in public health, and research into new treatments, both make the top five. The government should take this as a sign of strong public support for investment in research, the prevention of illness, and the need for a strong academic base to underpin the work of the NHS."
http://www.bma.org.uk
"Cleaner spitale" mult mai important decât la pacienþii alegere, Marea Britanie - 'Cleaner hospitals' more important to patients than choice, UK - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate