Choosing your hospital

Similar documents
Choosing your hospital

Choosing your hospital

Choosing your hospital

Choosing your hospital

Choosing your hospital

Choosing your hospital

Choosing your hospital

Referral Guidance DIRECT REFERRAL SERVICE FOR THE ELDERLY DEAF

Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

CQUIN Supplement Quality Account

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE August Provided to the Care Quality Commission to comply with The Health & Social Care Act (2008)

South Yorkshire Police Federation

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

2016/17 Activity Report April August/September 2016

Information for patients

Choosing your hospital

Descriptions: Provider Type and Specialty

Craigavon Area Hospital Profile

Statement of Purpose

SUMMARY OF INDICATOR CHANGES FOR VERSION 3 INTELLIGENT MONITORING REPORTS Acute and Specialist NHS Trusts 23 June Final Draft, Subject to Change

Statement of Purpose. June Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust

Alfred Health Pharmacy Internships 2019

Open and Honest Care in your Local Hospital

THE FUTURE OF YOUR HOSPITALS: Planned Care site

NHSGGC COMPLAINTS CONTACTS. Mental Health Services

Central Adelaide Local Health Network Clinical Directorate Structures

Community and Mental Health Services High Level Market Research PROSPECTUS

APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT

Question 1 a) What is the Annual net expenditure on the NHS from 1997/98 to 2007/08 in Scotland? b) Per head of population

Report by Margaret Brown, Head of Service Planning & Donna Smith, Divisional General Manager, Patient Services, Raigmore

Medical Training Initiative Post Paediatric Neurology Fellow Job Description Lead Clinician Dr Nahin Hussain

Your care in the best place At home, in your community and in our hospitals

A guide to accessing private healthcare. Hospitals + Health Checks + Physio + Gyms

Guidance notes on the role and function of Organic Old Age Psychiatry wards (NHS Lanarkshire)

We plan. We achieve.

STRATIFICATION GUIDE 2018

Reducing Elective Waits: Delivering 18 week pathways for patients. Programme Director NHS Elect Caroline Dove.

Central Manchester University Hospitals

Health Facility Guidelines

We plan. We achieve. Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust has a lot to tell you... l Our achievements of 2009/10 l Our plans for 2010/11

Waiting Times For New Outpatient Referrals

Learning Disability Acute Liaison Nurse Team

Evidence on the quality of medical note keeping: Guidance for use at appraisal and revalidation

Board of Directors Meeting

Daisy Hill Hospital Profile

Department of Neurosurgery. Pre-operative Assessment Clinic Information for patients

Isle of Wight NHS Primary Care Trust:

NHS GGC SGlas Campus_D.indd 1 31/03/ :06

NHS Electronic Referrals Service. Paper Switch Off an update Digital Health Webinar 4 May 2018

The Wellington Diagnostics and Outpatients Centre

Community Health Services in Bristol Community Learning Disabilities Team

How to complain about a health care or social care service

Delivering a choice of four providers: A practical implementation guide for PCTs. October 2005

North Central London Sustainability and Transformation Plan. A summary

Annex E: Leicester Growth Plans

Pharmacy Department PRE-REGISTRATION TRAINEE PHARMACIST INFORMATION PACK

Diagnostic Imaging, Peterborough

Information for patients with gynaecological cancer. Departments of gynaecology, oncology and gynaecological oncology

Welcome to the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

National Cancer Patient Experience Survey National Results Summary

Job Planning Driving Improvement Ensuring success for consultants, the service and for improved patient care

Community Nurses Module

Exceptional people delivering exceptional care

Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board

7 NON-ELECTIVE SURGERY IN THE NHS

Ref No 001/18. Incremental credit will be awarded in accordance with experience and qualifications.

Care of Critically Ill & Critically Injured Children in the West Midlands

Supporting people who need Palliative and End of Life Care in the Community. Giving people a choice

Feedback and complaints: how to have a say about your care and have any concerns and complaints dealt with

Open and Honest Care in your local Trust

Christmas and New Year Opening Hours - The Estuary View Minor Injuries Clinic will be open every day from 8am to 8pm.

Open and Honest Care in your Local Hospital

Open and Honest Care in your Local Hospitals

Discharge from hospital

Our aim is to provide outstanding private healthcare in a safe, comfortable and welcoming environment.

Anaesthesia Registrars

RTT Recovery Planning and Trajectory Development: A Cambridge Tale

IT S MORE THAN A TAG LINE HERE AT THE IOWA CLINIC.

Open and Honest Care in your Local Hospital

Caldwell Medical Center Departments

Spinal injury assessment Stakeholders

Barnet Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee 6 October 2016

What you can do to help stop the spread of MRSA and other infections

FAQS about GP to Consultant referrals and Paper Switch Off (PSO)

Practice One. The three decision branches we have decided to use within the practice to identify the course of action for each letter are:

Trust Management Structure July 2016

Whitby and the surrounding area

Reporting on the 2010 Survey

Provider Profile GENERAL DETAILS STATE/ PROVINCE: OTHERS (PLEASE SPECIFY): CONTACT DETAILS DESIGNATION NAME PHONE MOBILE

Open and Honest Care in your Local Hospital

Recovering from a hip fracture following an accident

Governing Body. TITLE OF REPORT: Performance Report for period ending 31st December 2012

Open and Honest Care in your Local Hospital

Paediatric Cardiac and Adult Congenital Heart Disease: Standards Compliance Assessment

Medical Center of the South

Mediastinal Venogram and Stent Insertion

Establishing an infection control accreditation programme to control infection

Service Level Agreements for

Candidate Information Pack. Clinical Lead Plastic Surgery & Burns

We are the regulator: Our job is to check whether hospitals, care homes and care services are meeting essential standards.

Transcription:

For more help with choosing your hospital, contact: Patient Advice and Liaison Service Loughborough Hospital Epinal Way Loughborough LE11 5JY Choosing your hospital Charnwood and North West Leicestershire Primary Care Trust Tel: 01509 564445 A copy of this booklet is also available on: www.nhs.uk 270744/043 Crown copyright 2005. PHOTOGRAPHY COPYRIGHT: ALAMY, GETTY, JOHN BIRDSALL, NHS LIBRARY, REX, SPL, ZEFA/CORBIS

What is patient choice? If you and your GP decide that you need to see a specialist for further treatment, you can now choose where to have your treatment from a list of hospitals or clinics. From April, you may have an even bigger choice full details will be on the NHS website (www.nhs.uk). This guide explains more about how the process works. It also gives you answers to some questions you may have. Plus, there are details of the hospitals you can choose and some information to help you choose the one that will be best for you. If you need more help, details of your local support services are on the back of this booklet. As well as the hospitals listed in this booklet, your GP may also be able to refer you to community-based services, such as GPs with Special Interests or community clinics. Alternatively, if your GP decides to refer you to a Clinical Assessment Service and you then need to go to hospital, you will be able to choose from this list of hospitals. Things to think about Where can I go for treatment? You might already have experience of a particular hospital or know someone who has. Now you can choose where would you like to go? Or, if you like, your GP can recommend a hospital where you can be treated. How do I find out more information about my condition? Your GP should be able to give you the answers to some of the questions you have. Or contact NHS Direct: visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk or call 0845 4647 and ask to speak to a health information advisor. How long will it take? How quickly do you want to be treated? Would you be willing to travel further away if it meant you could be treated quicker? Where s closest? You might want to think about how you will get to hospital. Who will take you there and pick you up when your treatment is finished? If you are going to stay in hospital for a while, do you want to be close to family or friends? Where s best for me? Different people have different priorities. You know what s most important for you hospital cleanliness or location, for example. This booklet gives you an overall idea of what each hospital is like, so you can work out which one suits you. If you want to find out more visit www.nhs.uk, the NHS website.

Your questions answered Making your choice Why would I want to choose which hospital treats me? If you choose which hospital you are treated in, you can make sure that you go to the place that will best suit your needs. What if I don t want to choose? You do not have to make the decision yourself. If you prefer, your GP can still make the choice for you and recommend a hospital for your treatment. What if I don t want to go to a different hospital? You don t have to. If you would rather visit the hospital that you usually go to, then you can make that choice. Is patient choice offered for all medical conditions? A choice of hospital is available for most medical conditions. However, not all hospitals treat every medical condition and some patients may need a more specialist service. If I need treatment after my first appointment, will I be treated at the same hospital? In most cases you will. But if you need very specialised treatment, you may have to go to another hospital. Will I have to pay? No, not as an NHS patient. All the hospitals listed provide services to NHS patients. As long as you choose one of the hospitals listed in this booklet, you won t have to pay. Is there help available for my travel arrangements to get to hospital? If your GP or the person who has referred you determines that you have a medical need for transport to get to hospital, patient transport services should be provided. You may also have your travel expenses paid through the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme, if you get Jobseeker s Allowance, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit or Pension Credit. Which hospital should I choose? The hospitals you can choose from will depend on the type of specialist you need to see. This booklet shows you which hospitals carry out the treatment you need (Where can I have my treatment?). The table How does your Hospital Trust score? gives you more information about these hospitals and will help you make a choice that best suits you. What happens if I change my mind? If you decide that you do not want to be treated at the hospital where you have your first appointment, you can go back to your GP, who will go through the other options available to you. Where can I get the information I need to help me make my choice? If you want to know something that isn t covered in this guide, or you want more advice, you can talk to your GP or other local support services. You ll find the details of your local support services on the back cover of this booklet. You may also want to talk things through with family and friends. For further information you can visit www.nhs.uk, the NHS website. You may already have a clear idea as to where you would like to be treated. If so, this booklet will give you more information on the hospital you have chosen. If you haven t made up your mind, you could: Find out what your choices are Talk to your GP or local support services about the choices that are available to you and where you can get more information and support. Get the information you need This guide should give you most of the information you need to help you make your choice. For more details visit www.nhs.uk, the NHS website. Talk it through with someone else You may want to discuss your choices with family or friends, especially if you are going to need their help with travel or care after your treatment. Weigh up the pros and cons Consider your needs and compare each hospital using the information you have, bearing in mind what is most important to you. Book your appointment You will be advised how to book your hospital appointment. Once you have decided where you want to go, follow this guidance. And don t be afraid to ask if you need help with booking an appointment. Your hospitals The next few pages will help you decide which hospital will be best for you: Where can I have my treatment? shows which Hospital Trusts treat which conditions. There are descriptions of each of your local hospitals and how to get to them. The map shows where each hospital is. How do your hospitals score? gives ratings for each Hospital Trust, so that you can compare their performance in nine different categories.

Where can I have my treatment? Use the chart below to check which hospitals provide the service you need. In addition to the hospitals listed, your GP may be able to refer you to community-based or other services. Ask him or her what s available in your local area. He or she will also advise you if the service you need is not listed. Specialty name Hospital Trusts Hospital Trusts are NHS organisations that manage hospitals. There may be more than one hospital in a single Trust. The NHS collects information at Trust level, so a lot of information is listed by Trust, not individual hospital. The list shows which hospitals are in which Hospital Trust. Hospital provider Burton Hospitals NHS Trust Charnwood and North West Leicestershire Primary Care Trust Queen s Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Cardiology Dermatology Ear, nose & throat Gastroenterology General medicine General surgery Gynaecology Neurology Ophthalmology Oral-maxillo surgery Paediatrics Rheumatology Trauma & orthopaedics Urology Burton Hospitals NHS Trust q Queen s Hospital Charnwood and North West Leicestershire Primary Care Trust w Ashby Hospital e Coalville Community Hospital r Loughborough Hospital Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust t Derby City General Hospital y Derbyshire Royal Infirmary George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust u George Eliot Hospital Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust i Good Hope Hospital Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust onottingham City Hospital Queen s Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust a Queen s Medical Centre University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust s Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital d Hospital of St Cross f Walsgrave Hospital University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust g Glenfield Hospital h Leicester General Hospital j Leicester Royal Infirmary This data was correct at the time of going to print and may be subject to amendments.

Find your hospital Your hospitals The numbers on this map refer to the numbers on the hospital list on the previous page. BURTON HOSPITALS NHS TRUST CHARNWOOD & NORTH WEST LEICESTERSHIRE PRIMARY CARE TRUST M1 A1 QUEEN S HOSPITAL ASHBY HOSPITAL NOTTINGHAM 9 BURTON ON TRENT 8 SUTTON COLDFIELD BIRMINGHAM M40 1 DERBY 5 6 M42 2 NUNEATON 7 3 4 10 COVENTRY 11 13 12 RUGBY LOUGHBOROUGH LEICESTER 14 16 15 M1 GRANTHAM A52 A1 Belvedere Road, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire DE13 0RB Tel: 01283 566333 www.burtonhospital.com The 560-bed Queen s Hospital, two miles west of Burton town centre, provides a range of general secondary care services. An Independent Sector Treatment Centre is being built to provide day surgery and ophthalmology (eyes) services. Leicester Road, Ashby De-La-Zouch, Leicestershire LE65 1DG Tel: 01530 566900 www.cnwlpct.nhs.uk Ashby Hospital, near Ashby town centre, is an old traditional style hospital providing modern day services, including 16 inpatient beds and outpatient facilities for dermatology (skin), ENT (ear nose and throat), surgery and paediatrics (children). Nearest train station: Burton, one mile. Buses: Arriva 0345 056005. Nearest train station: Burton-on- Trent, 10 miles. Limited. Phone for detials.

Your hospitals CHARNWOOD & NORTH WEST LEICESTERSHIRE PRIMARY CARE TRUST COALVILLE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL CHARNWOOD & NORTH WEST LEICESTERSHIRE PRIMARY CARE TRUST LOUGHBOROUGH HOSPITAL Broom Leys Road, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 4DE Tel: 01530 467400 www.cnwlpct.nhs.uk The 96-bed Coalville Community Hospital, near Coalville town centre, offers a range of general outpatient clinical facilities with visiting consultants from the local acute trust. It also provides an X-ray service with open access. Nearest train station: Loughborough, 13 miles. Free parking available. Hospital Way, off Epinal Way, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 5JY Tel: 01509 611600 www.cnwlpct.nhs.uk Loughborough Hospital has 95 beds. It offers a full range of outpatient clinical facilities with visiting consultants from the local acute hospital trust. It also provides digital X-ray dialysis, day care, and inpatient and therapy services. Nearest train station: Loughborough, two miles. Limited free parking.

Your hospitals Your hospitals DERBY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST DERBY HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST GEORGE ELIOT HOSPITAL NHS TRUST GOOD HOPE HOSPITAL NHS TRUST DERBY CITY GENERAL HOSPITAL DERBYSHIRE ROYAL INFIRMARY GEORGE ELIOT HOSPITAL GOOD HOPE HOSPITAL Uttoxeter Road, Derby, Derbyshire DE22 3NE Tel: 01332 340131 www.derbyhospitals.nhs.uk London Road, Derby, Derbyshire DE1 2QY Tel: 01332 347141 www.derbyhospitals.nhs.uk College Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 7DJ Tel: 02476 351 351 www.geh.nhs.uk Rectory Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B75 7RR Tel: 0121 378 2211 www.goodhope.org.uk The 442-bed Derby City General Hospital is located two miles west of the city centre. The site, which incorporates the Derbyshire Children s Hospital, offers a wide range of medical services. Nearest train station: Derby, three miles. The 601-bed Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, near Derby city centre, offers a full range of medical, rehabilitation and surgical services. It also provides cancer and palliative care together with a range of support services. Nearest train station: Derby, five minutes walk. The 364-bed George Eliot Hospital, on the outskirts of Nuneaton, provides the full range of acute services for inpatients, outpatients and day cases. A team from Walsgrave Hospital performs cataract operations. Nearest train station: Nuneaton, three miles. Buses: Stagecoach, 024 7638 2305. The 550-bed Good Hope Hospital, close to Sutton Coldfield town centre, provides a variety of specialist outpatient and diagnostic services. Nearest train station: Sutton Coldfield, 20 minutes walk.

Your hospitals NOTTINGHAM CITY HOSPITAL NHS TRUST NOTTINGHAM CITY HOSPITAL QUEEN'S MEDICAL CENTRE, NOTTINGHAM UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NHS TRUST QUEEN'S MEDICAL CENTRE Hucknall Road, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG5 1PB Tel: 0115 969 1169 www.ncht.org.uk This 1,110-bed hospital is a large acute teaching trust situated north of the city. It provides a wide range of inpatient, outpatient and day care services. Specialties include kidney transplantation and cancer care. Nearest train station: Bulwell, 30 minutes walk. Limited. Derby Road, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG7 2UH Tel: 0115 970 9924 www.qmc.nhs.uk This 925-bed teaching hospital, near the centre of Nottingham, provides acute healthcare services including spinal and neurosurgery. It also provides maxillofacial surgery and various children s services. Nearest train station: Nottingham, two miles. Limited.

Your hospitals UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE NHS TRUST COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE HOSPITAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE NHS TRUST HOSPITAL OF ST CROSS Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV1 4FH Tel: 02476 224 055 www.uhcw.nhs.uk The 154-bed Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital, in Coventry city centre, provides a variety of acute and specialist services. These will transfer to a new hospital, which will open in 2006. Nearest train station: Coventry, 20 minutes walk. Barby Road, Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 5PX Tel: 01788 572 831 www.uhcw.nhs.uk The 149-bed Hospital of St Cross, south of Rugby town centre, provides a variety of services, including an orthopaedic (bones and joints) operating theatre and ward, chest pain clinic and a specialist stroke ward. Nearest train station: Rugby, one mile.

Your hospitals Your hospitals UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE NHS TRUST UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF LEICESTER NHS TRUST WALSGRAVE HOSPITAL GLENFIELD HOSPITAL LEICESTER GENERAL HOSPITAL LEICESTER ROYAL INFIRMARY Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry, West Midlands CV2 2DX Tel: 02476 602 020 www.uhcw.nhs.uk Groby Road, Leicester, Leicestershire LE3 9QP Tel: 0116 287 1471 www.uhl-tr.nhs.uk Gwendolen Road, Leicester, Leicestershire LE5 4PW Tel: 0116 249 0490 www.uhl-tr.nhs.uk Infirmary Square, Leicester, Leicestershire LE1 5WW Tel: 0116 254 1414 www.uhl-tr.nhs.uk The 891-bed Walsgrave Hospital, in north-east Coventry, offers a variety of acute medical and surgical services. The hospital has multidisciplinary teams to treat lung, breast and gastrointestinal cancers. The new hospital site will open in the summer. Nearest train station: Coventry, four miles. Buses: Centro hotline 0121 200 2700. Free for the first hour, then charges apply. The 417-bed Glenfield Hospital, on the outskirts of Leicester, offers a range of specialist services. It is a major centre for cardiac (heart), lung and respiratory (breathing) medicine and has a specialist breast care unit. Nearest train station: Leicester, five miles. Phone for details. The 627-bed Leicester General Hospital, three miles east of Leicester city centre, offers a range of specialist services, including stroke care. It is a major centre for renal (kidney) and urology (urinary tract) services. Nearest train station: Leicester, three miles. Phone for details. The 880-bed Leicester Royal Infirmary, close to Leicester city centre, offers a range of specialist services. It has cancer and children s facilities, as well as vascular (blood vessels), and emergency medical and surgical care. Nearest train station: Leicester, one mile.

How does your Hospital Trust score? What do the ratings mean? Check against the coloured chart to see how your Hospital Trust measures up. Go to the next page for more on what these ratings mean. Excellent Good Average Below average Poor Burton Hospitals NHS Trust Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Good Hope Hospital NHS Trust Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust Queen s Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust Healthcare Commission statistics Rating Inpatient waiting times Cancelled operations Outpatient waiting times Management of risk Hospital cleanliness MRSA infection Patients views Access and waiting Cleanliness and comfort Information provided The overall ratings The Healthcare Commission is the independent regulator of healthcare, and is responsible for assessing and reporting on the performance of healthcare organisations on an annual basis. For NHS Trusts, this involves issuing an annual performance rating. This overall rating is made up of a number of performance indicators. The indicators show how Trusts are doing in relation to some of the main targets set by the Government for the NHS, as well as other broader measures of performance, such as information from surveys of staff and patients. The indicators chosen for publication in this leaflet are those that the Healthcare Commission and Department of Health believe matter most to patients. The 2005 NHS performance ratings were published in July 2005 and cover the year ending 31 March 2005. They place NHS Trusts in England into one of four categories: Trusts with the highest levels of performance are awarded a rating of three stars. Trusts with mostly high levels of performance, but not consistent across all areas, are awarded a rating of two stars. Where there is some cause for concern regarding particular areas, Trusts are awarded a rating of one star. Trusts that have shown the poorest levels of performance receive a rating of zero stars. If a Trust has a low rating because of poor performance on a number of key targets and indicators, this does not mean that a hospital is unsafe, that it does not contain some very good clinical services or that the staff are not working hard in often difficult circumstances. It does mean that performance must be improved in a number of key areas. A new approach to assess and report on the performance of healthcare organisations has been developed for 2006, which looks at a much broader range of issues. In autumn 2006, the Healthcare Commission will publish the assessment of the performance of healthcare organisations for England for the year ending March 2006. Healthcare Commission statistics Inpatient waiting times This column shows how well your hospitals have done at getting patients into hospital for treatment as quickly as possible. The target they were measured against was six months from the time when the hospital doctor decided that treatment was necessary. www.nhs.uk has the latest waiting times information. Cancelled operations This column shows how often your hospitals cancelled booked operations for non-medical reasons (e.g. equipment being out of action, no bed being available or staff being away). Outpatient waiting times This column shows how well your hospitals have done at getting patients into hospital for a clinic appointment following GP referral. The target they were measured against was 13 weeks from GP referral. www.nhs.uk has the latest waiting times information. Management of risk All hospitals need to make sure they are reducing the possibility of things going wrong and, if something does go wrong, making sure it won t happen again. The Department of Health issues standards to help hospitals achieve this, and this column shows how well your services have done on achieving these. Though regulated by the Healthcare Commission, published performance ratings for Independent Sector Treatment Centres and private hospitals are not currently available. For more information, please see individual hospitals' websites, www.dh.gov.uk or www.healthcarecommission.org.uk Please turn the page for an explanation of the other ratings.

What does the medical jargon mean? Here s a guide to some of the medical language used in this booklet. Hospital cleanliness Once a year, hospitals have to assess their levels of cleanliness and report them to the Department of Health. This column shows how your hospitals have done. MRSA infection One of the things that patients are most worried about is catching the infection MRSA (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus). It can be a very nasty infection, but it is actually quite rare in comparison to the number of patients who receive hospital care each year. People do not always catch it in hospital they may already have it before they enter hospital. But hospitals have to record all MRSA bloodstream infections, whether or not patients have contracted them in hospital. This column gives an indication of the number of cases of MRSA bloodstream infections and whether the Hospital Trust has been successful in reducing the number of cases since last year. MRSA rates may vary depending on the type of patients the hospital treats. You can find out more about MRSA infection from the Department of Health website (www.dh.gov.uk), which includes a complete breakdown of all Trusts rates and A simple guide to MRSA. Or visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk, the NHS Direct website. What patients said In 2005 the Healthcare Commission published the results of a survey of patients who had attended outpatient clinics. These columns include the results against questions that asked: Access and waiting How long did you have to wait for an appointment to be seen in a hospital clinic? Was the appointment cancelled? Were you given a choice of times for your appointment? How long did you wait to be seen after you had arrived in outpatients? Were the reasons for any waits explained? Cleanliness and comfort How clean were the outpatient department and toilets? Was it easy to find your way around? Patients were also asked how they felt the hospital staff had treated them for example, did hospital staff talk in front of you as if you were not there, and did staff respect your privacy? Information provided Patients were asked questions about how satisfied they were with information they received. Were the reasons for tests or treatment explained? Were you told what to expect? Were you given information about the medication that was prescribed for you? Were you given the name of someone you could contact if you were concerned after you left? About the Healthcare Commission The Healthcare Commission exists to promote improvements in the quality of healthcare and public health in England. It has a wide range of responsibilities, all aimed at improving the quality of healthcare. These responsibilities include assessing the performance of healthcare organisations, awarding annual performance ratings for the NHS and coordinating reviews of healthcare by others. For more information about the Healthcare Commission, go to www.healthcarecommission.org.uk or ring 0845 601 3012. What s a specialty? There are several different specialties, each with its own team of doctors. For example, some doctors will specialise in treating orthopaedics (bones and joints), while others will specialise in ophthalmology (eyes). What s an outpatient appointment? An outpatient appointment is when you visit the hospital to see a doctor who will examine you so that she or he can diagnose what the problem is and think about what the best treatment will be. What s a day case? Simple treatments are often done as day cases. This means you will not normally stay overnight. What s inpatient treatment? Inpatient treatment is when you go into hospital to have your treatment and stay overnight. What s elective treatment? Most treatment is routine or elective. This simply means your treatment is planned in advance rather than you needing emergency treatment. Routine treatment usually takes place during normal working hours, although occasionally some hospitals work at weekends. What s a GP with a Special Interest? Sometimes, rather than going to a hospital or clinic, you may be able to choose to be treated by a GP with a Special Interest. These are GPs who have extensive training and experience in their specialty as well as their GP qualifications.