Bupa invites patients to have a say

by Gill Montia

Story link: Bupa invites patients to have a say

Private healthcare provider, Bupa, is undertaking a survey of over 35,000 patients in 200 hospitals across the UK.

The research will be carried out by the Picker Institute, which specialises in using patients’ experiences to provide feedback on the quality of care they have received.

The survey will span a range of topics, including how well doctors explain answers to patients’ questions and how involved patients feel in decision-making about their treatment.

It will gather data on experiences from admission to hospital to post treatment care.

Bupa’s assistant clinical director, Dr Rebecca Small, is confident that the work will provide a better understanding of what really matters to people when they go into hospital and also identify where improvements can be made.

The Picker Institute is a charity with 20 years’ experience of working with NHS Trusts, private hospitals, professional bodies, government and voluntary organisations.

It has so far surveyed over one million patients as part of the NHS patient survey programme alone.

BUPA is currently the UK’s leading provider of private health care insurance and health care services.