Have you or a family member you are responsible for had treatment in a hospital in the last 5 years? Complete a survey for your chance to win a £300 voucher NOW CLOSED

[ZaneMumsnet]

We'd love folks on MN and Gransnet to please complete a survey on the factors you consider when getting treatment in a hospital. It is open to all UK Mumsnetters who have had treatment themselves, or have a family member directly in their care who has had treatment in a hospital in the last 5 years. Note the survey is also open to Gransnetters and there's one winner across all entries.

Here's the link: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MFV59LF

Everyone who takes part will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a £300 Love2Shop voucher.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

[FadedRed]

I started to fill the survey, but realised this is all about planned, not emergency care in hospitals, so my experience was not relevent as this survey is about choice. In most emergency admissions, there is little or no choice IME.
I think you thread title or opening post should make this clearer.

[Generation1979]

Marking place.

[AnnMumsnet]

FadedRed - survey open to all who have had treatment themselves, or have a family member directly in their care who has had treatment in a hospital in the last 5 years - whether planned or emergency - we have a Q about this and you can tick NA if you don't feel you can answer a particular question aspect

[BrieAndChilli]

I too started I fill in but none of the questions are really relevant. With emergency you just rush to the hospital and all you think about is what the hell is happening and things like friendliness of the staff etc is not high on your thoughts.
Yes all these things may make your stay better but you don't choose where to go based on any of these except closeness and size of hospital.
Eg when having babies you can choose the hospital you want from a choice of 3 nearby, but recently when DS appendix burst I just rushed to the closest one even though I would chose the one twice as far away for optional treatment.

[Thurlow]

I filled it out but it felt completely irrelevant to emergency care. All I cared about at that time was whether the hospital had an A&E. I couldn't give a toss about food or parking.

I get that you can tick N/A but then there's no real point completing the survey, as none of the questions really relate to emergency care?

[GormlessNormTheGardenGnome]

Done, but I agree with pp. Daft questions and nowhere to explain your answers. I don't think my answers will be much use. When dd was diagnosed with cancer, we went to the hospital that could treat her. Thankfully, they were brilliant and i can't fault them on anything (except parking which is bloody disaster).

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

It was v silly. Who gets a choice of hospitals? Surely you go where you are sent?

[FadedRed]

AnnMumsnet thanks for your reply, but what use is N/A to all the questions?
Remust I think it depends on the area, around here if you were having orthopaedic surgery, you would have the choice of the local hospital or a private treatment centre twenty miles away, where the waiting list is usually shorter than the hospital and your admission date not Likely to change because there wasn't a bed available due to emergencies iyswim. This is because the local CCG has a contract with the TC for a certain number of 'routine' cold case operations for lower risk patients, to ease the pressure on the acute hospital beds. the questions in the survey would be very relevent to that situation.

[Wigeon]

You DO have a choice of hospital for some procedures, through the NHS Choose and Book system. In my case, the GP showed me a big long list of hospitals where I could have my procedure, and the only information I was given was 1) waiting times for first outpatient appointment and 2) distance. So although you have limited information in order to make an informed choice, you do in some cases have a choice.

So I chose the nearest private hospital because 1) it's about as close as my local NHS hospital 2) I reckoned the surroundings would be more pleasant than the NHS hospital 3) there is free parking right on site and my local NHS hospital has v expensive parking charges 4) the waiting time was something like 14 days for first outpatient appointment, compared to something like 42 days for the NHS hospital (which happens to be in special measures, too). And it's all still completely free to me, on the NHS, despite taking place in a private hospital.

I'll fill in the survey once I've had the procedure!

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Thanks both. Never heard of it before. I certainly didn't get a choice when I was going in. Anyway - survey done! :)

[Unsurechicken]

I'm in hospital currently I've just filled it in!

[TheFairyCaravan]

I filled it in.

I don't think it's silly at all. Before my GP referred me to hopsital I googled my condition, found all the surgeons who could treat it within a 50 mile radius of my house. Then I researched them all, decided who was best, contacted his secretary to check he'd see me, and he would, so requested my GP referred me to him.

[Wigeon]

Fairy - how did you find data on the performance of individual surgeons? I have found it frustrating that although I am given the appearance of choice, because of limited information, I can only choose on two factors - parking and distance - rather than really meaningful factors, like mortality rates for this procedure at this hospital, reoccurrence of the condition by surgeon, patient satisfaction rates by hospital or by clinician, infection rates by hospital (actually, maybe that information is available?).

Although individual surgeon data is potentially quite misleading - sometimes the most experienced surgeons might take on more complex cases, which might have higher mortality rates, but overall they are still excellent surgeons.

[NoahVale]

It was my aftercare provided by my surgery and local hospital that caused the problem with my treatment.

[whereonthestair]

I filled it in but in my case the surgery is ONLY available in 7 UK hospitals, and only for 50 children a year. As such and after getting funding from NHS England it was go to great ormond St or go to amercia

[Blu]

I didn't understand q8. Why would anyone choose a hospital because of 'poor skills' of a surgeon?
I have a DC who has regular serious surgery. Our decision is made on: a really good consultant, within a specialist unit in a Foundation teaching hospital. I believe (and many nurses have told me) teaching hospitals offer the best standard and can attract the best staff.. Also the provision of specialist nursing and support care, and good team work amongst the clinical and rehabilitation teams.

Amongst all that, the food and the parking - who cares?

[TheFairyCaravan]

Wigeon I didn't use that data, it was before then anyway, because it's not specific to my conditions. I found the surgeons who were local to me, who were specialists in treating my conditions. I narrowed it down to the ones who had worked worldwide, taught all over the world and written lots of papers on it.

[Pico2]

One significant issue for me is the availability of emergency care, even for routine surgery. Whilst you have to be unlucky to need a blood transfusion or intensive care for many straightforward treatments, that 1 in 1000 could be you. Many private hospitals aren't set up for treating serious complications and have a skeleton staff over night, sometimes with only 1 doctor covering loads of patients.

If private is an option, then a private ward of a major NHS teaching hospital is my preferred option.

[IamtheZombie]

Zombie has completed it. She does think it was poorly designed though.

[Sirzy]

The emergency care one I found very relevant. There are two a and e departments for adults about the same distance away (25 -30 minutes drive) when I had to attend a and e earlier this year I did pick the one I had had better experiences with previously and which had a better reputation,

[Quodlibet]

Seems strange that, seeing as you are asking mumsnetters, many if whom will have had 'childbirth' or 'prenatal care' as their most recent hospital experience, that few of the questions can really be extrapolated for that. I didn't pick the hospital I have birth at because of the 'likelihood of getting better' but because the relevant department had good clinical outcomes.

[trilbydoll]

Q8 I think has a typo although as I had an elective section, although planned, I didn't get to choose my surgeon!

[gleegeek]

Peculiar survey but completed to the best of my ability. Re choice of hospital, my dad needed treatment for kidney cancer. He lives up north, I live down south and he needed full time care during the treatment. He was referred to a hospital nearer me as it was the only way we could manage. It took a lot of phonecalls and paperwork and still causes confusion but it is possible. Got to love the NHS!

[SauvignonPlonker]

I completed this, but it's a shame there weren't options looking at concerns about private healthcare eg on-site medical staff out-of-hours, what happens if you need ITU care after surgery, or transfer to NHS in emergency.

It seems to focus in on people who want to pick their surgeon, have a nice private room & better food. These would not be my criteria for essential surgery.

For this reason, I chose to have surgery on the NHS, even though we have employers Private Healthcare.

[notmynameohno]

Survey done. May not be scientific approach but I would also go on recent experiences of friends/family.