MORE than 1,600 patients and staff are being invited to give their views on aspects of hospital life.

Two separate questionnaires are being sent over the next few weeks to either a random sample of inpatients or individuals employed at Princess Alexandra Hospital. The questionnaires are part of a national survey of NHS hospitals and the responses will help the hospital compare its performance against last year’s scores and also how it has made improvements in relation to other health care trusts.

The issues highlighted will also form the basis of a working action plan to address them.

Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust chief executive Chris Pocklington said: “It’s important that we continually capture and monitor what people are telling us, so that we can improve the quality of services we offered them.

“Past inpatient surveys have presented us with some food for thought, no significant surprises. We also recognised the information wasn’t very up-to-date. We’ve now introduced handheld computers onto all wards to gauge opinions on a daily basis to which we can respond instantly.”

Both surveys are optional and there is no requirement to complete them. Questions relate to a host of different aspects of the care and treatment given or the working environment.

The national staff survey touches on the opportunity for personal development, frequency of team meetings, and availability of individual feedback amongst other things.

Alan Farmer, executive director for workforce, said: “We would encourage anyone who receives a survey to fill it in. It is their chance to tell us what is working and what is not. “In response to what colleagues told us in the last national staff survey we have introduced new training opportunities for all levels of staff, improved communications amongst teams and strengthened the appraisal process.”

The Trust has a number of mechanisms to allow people to feedback on their experiences. The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) provides a free service to anyone who has a concern or issue that needs resolving; by signing up as an FT member people have the opportunity to influence service developments in line with their expectations and all complaints received by the trust are dealt with in accordance to national guidance.