Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 1 of 12 1. INTRODUCTION LABORATORY USER SATISFACTION SURVEY The Laboratory recognises that in order to achieve continual quality improvement, any feedback from its service users is vitally important. In order to monitor user experiences and satisfaction levels the Laboratory undertakes a regular user satisfaction survey every 2 years. This survey was conducted by the Laboratory Quality Co-ordinator in conjunction with Laboratory management. 2. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the survey were: To gauge satisfaction levels of Laboratory users To identify potential improvements to the Laboratory service To continually improve the Laboratory service and user relations 3. METHOD The survey was launched on Monday 26 th February 218 on SurveyMonkey, when the Laboratory sent an email to all of its users. Due to poor online response rates from community users in previous surveys a hard copy survey was also sent out to community practice managers to ensure that all users were aware of the survey and had the ability to complete it. Further hard copies of the survey were also circulated with all Laboratory store orders between 26 th February and 26 th March 218. The principal focus of the survey was to seek user opinions on: Clinical advice Laboratory handbook Laboratory staff assistance Result turnaround times Result recall Telephoned results Transport arrangements A total of 8 questions relating to the above areas were posed to each user. A copy of the survey is in the Appendix. The nature of the survey ensured that it was as simple and quick as possible for users to complete, which should ensure as large a number of respondents as possible. The survey closed on Monday 2 nd April 218.
Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 2 of 12 Before reviewing the results of the survey, it s important to ensure the definition of satisfaction is stated. The Laboratory has measured satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being most dissatisfied and 5 most satisfied. SATISFACTION RATING SATISFACTION LEVEL SATISFACTION DEFINITION 5 Very good User satisfied 4 Good User satisfied 3 Average User satisfied 2 Poor User dissatisfied 1 Very poor User dissatisfied Therefore, the Laboratory defines user results of 3 or greater out of 5 as satisfied and 2 or less out of 5 as unsatisfied. The Laboratory has set a target of at least 95% of survey respondents having a satisfaction rating of 3 or higher for the overall service provided by the Laboratory. 4. RESULTS 4.1 OVERVIEW OF RESULTS A wide spectrum of service users responded, predominantly hospital-based but also community based, with a total of 86 responses 96% of respondents gave a satisfaction rating of 3 or higher for the overall service provided by the Laboratory Generally positive feedback from users in regards to the services provided by the Laboratory The majority of negative feedback was in regards to transport arrangements, which is the responsibility of the SEHSCT Transport Department, however this was only from 11% of respondents which is no higher than previous years 4.2 RESULTS TABLES & GRAPHS See overleaf.
Percentage Usage South Eastern HSC Trust Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 3 of 12 1. Please select your staff group and specify your Ward / Department / Health Centre: Staff Group Amount Percentage Administration/clerical 9 Healthcare Professional 21 24 Medical 12 14 Nursing 41 48 Other 3 3 Ward / Department / Health Centre Amount Percentage Community-based 18 21 Hospital-based 46 53 Not specified 22 26 2. Please select the system you primarily use to view Laboratory results: (multiple responses permitted) System Amount Percentage No Response GP Result Recall System 14 13 5 NI ECR 49 47 Patient Centre 6 6 Web-based Lab Result Recall 33 31 Other 3 3 7 6 5 4 3 2 GP Result Recall System NI ECR Patient Centre Web-based Lab Result Recall System Other
Percentage Percentage South Eastern HSC Trust Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 4 of 12 3. How satisfied are you with result turnaround times? N/A or No Response Amount 1 7 26 34 18 Percentage 1 38 5 7 6 5 4 3 2 4. How satisfied are you with Laboratory result recall (viewing results)? N/A or No Response Amount 1 7 27 34 17 Percentage 1 39 49 7 6 5 4 3 2
Percentage Percentage South Eastern HSC Trust Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 5 of 12 5. How satisfied are you with clinical advice given on how to interpret tests results? N/A or No Response Amount 1 1 15 3 29 Percentage 2 2 18 26 53 7 6 5 4 3 2 6. How satisfied are you with the transport arrangements to the Laboratory? N/A or No Response Amount 2 5 12 15 28 24 Percentage 3 8 19 24 45 7 6 5 4 3 2
Percentage Percentage South Eastern HSC Trust Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 6 of 12 7. How satisfied are you with any assistance provided by Laboratory staff? N/A or No Response Amount 1 1 7 23 34 2 Percentage 2 2 11 35 52 7 6 5 4 3 2 8. How satisfied are you with the Laboratory handbook? N/A or No Response Amount 2 9 28 25 22 Percentage 3 14 44 39 7 6 5 4 3 2
Percentage Percentage South Eastern HSC Trust Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 7 of 12 9. How satisfied are you with the telephone procedure that the Laboratory uses to alert users of critical results? N/A or No Response Amount 1 5 14 39 27 Percentage 2 8 24 66 7 6 5 4 3 2. Overall, how satisfied are you with the Laboratory s service? No Response Amount 1 2 11 21 36 15 Percentage 1 3 15 3 51 7 6 5 4 3 2
Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 8 of 12 5. DISCUSSION The survey received 86 responses from both hospital-based and community-based users. Within these responses there was a wide spectrum of service users that responded, including nursing, healthcare professionals, medical and administration/clerical. The Laboratory received responses from at least 26 different hospital-based areas and 11 different community-based areas. However, as the surveys can be anonymous not all users filled out this field, so the number could be greater. With the amount of responses and the various user groups that responded the Laboratory is confident that the results of this survey accurately reflect the service provided. In regards to viewing Laboratory results, the majority of respondents use NI ECR and Web-based Lab Result Recall. This falls in line with the Laboratory s guidance where we primarily direct users to view results on these 2 systems. However, it must be noted that community users primarily use their own GP Result Recall System. The majority of the survey respondents were satisfied with result turnaround times, with 99% giving a satisfaction rating of 3 or greater and 92% a satisfaction rating of 4 or greater. One user stated they would like urgent turnaround times to be audited to see if they could be improved. It is important to note that the complete sample journey turnaround time (Time of sample to time when results are available to view by users) is not under the control of the laboratory; however the Laboratory Turnaround time (Time the sample is registered in the Laboratory to the time when results are available to view by users) is audited on a quarterly basis and meets the Laboratory s stated turnaround times for both urgent and routine requests. Turnaround times are kept under constant review to see if improvements can be made. Of the users who responded, 99% were satisfied (satisfaction rating of 3 or greater) with the result recall systems in place, however one response stated that results are slower to appear on NI ECR than other systems. This is because there can be a delay of 1-2 minutes before results appear on NI ECR, as reports are uploaded to NI ECR from the Laboratory Information Management System. It is important to note that if the patient s complete demographics are not correct, e.g. incorrect or missing; H&C number, surname or DOB, then results will not be transmitted and appear on NI ECR. The Laboratory will provide information in its next newsletter to remind users of the mandatory Laboratory acceptance criteria to ensure that results transmit to NI ECR. Of the users who responded, 96% provided a satisfaction rating of 3 or greater for the clinical advice provided by Laboratory consultants and stated that it was helpful. There were no negative comments so the Laboratory cannot investigate the 2 dissatisfied responses. The vast majority of the users that responded, 89%, gave a satisfaction rating of 3 or greater for the transport of specimens to the Laboratory. This is a similar rating to the previous survey, which saw a marked improvement in responses. Having said this however, this area is still the one with the most dissatisfied users. There were some very positive comments about the Hospital portering team and Trust transport staff, including
Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 9 of 12 their friendliness and helpfulness, however the main issue centred on later community collections for some health centres; Only Church Street Surgery provided their name. As Trust Transport have responsibility for scheduling pick up times and transport of samples to the Laboratory these comments will be passed onto the Patient Experience Transport Manager. Of the survey respondents who have required assistance from Laboratory staff, 96% were satisfied (satisfaction rating of 3 or greater) with the assistance provided. Comments included the fact that Laboratory staff are pleasant, professional, helpful and friendly. However, there were 2 negative comments in relation to Laboratory staff tone and telephone manner. The Laboratory aims to always answer queries in a professional and courteous manner and all Laboratory staff will be reminded of this. A satisfaction rating of 3 or greater was given by 97% of the survey respondents in regard to the Laboratory Handbook. On the whole users seem satisfied with the handbook and its content; however there were some negative comments in regards to finding information/tests in the Handbook. The Laboratory will remind all users of how to search in the Handbook. 98% of the respondents were satisfied (satisfaction rating of 3 or greater) with the Laboratory s telephone results service and no negative comments or suggestions for improvement were received. The Laboratory is committed and will continue to communicate to its users in as safe and effective a manner as possible. Overall 96% of the survey respondents gave a satisfaction rating of 3 or greater for the overall service provided by the Laboratory, suggesting that the vast majority of users are reasonably satisfied with the service provided. This is backed up by the fact that in the last 12 months the Laboratory has only received 3 complaints. Although there was a high level of overall satisfaction with the service provided the Laboratory s users did provided suggestions for improving the service. These suggestions will be recorded on Q-Pulse [LAB MAN-26] for consideration and discussion by the Laboratory Quality Team. If you would like to discuss your suggestion further please feel free to contact the Laboratory Services Manager, Raymond Gamble, (28 94 11572 / ext. 88572) or the Laboratory Quality Co-ordinator, Darren Crawford, (28 94 11565 / ext. 88565).
Approver: Raymond Gamble Page of 12 6. ACTION PLAN By carrying out the action plan detailed below and overleaf the Laboratory hopes to address the main issues highlighted by our users, where possible, to ensure the Laboratory service continues to improve. No. Action Person Responsible Target 1 Disseminate information to users regarding target turnaround times for requests and the most recent audit data Darren Crawford 31 st May 218 2 Remind users of the mandatory acceptance criteria for requests, which will assist with result transmission to NI ECR 3 Forward queries regarding collection times to Patient Experience Manager 4 Remind Laboratory staff of the proper telephone etiquette professional, polite & courteous at all times 5 Remind users how to search for information in the Laboratory Handbook Darren Crawford 31 st May 218 Raymond Gamble 31 st May 218 Darren Crawford 31 st May 218 Darren Crawford 31 st May 218 7. CONCLUSION In conclusion, this user satisfaction survey has shown that in general most survey respondents are satisfied with the service provided by the Laboratory. Of those surveyed, 96% gave the Laboratory s overall service a satisfaction level of 3 or higher, which meets the Laboratory s aim of at least 95%. In the last few years the Laboratory has been making a transition to new models of 24/7 working and ISO 15189 accreditation and we hope that these changes, along with the action plan from this report, will continue to improve the service provided by the Laboratory and, ultimately, provide better care for patients.
Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 11 of 12 8. APPENDIX LABORATORY USER SATISFACTION SURVEY 216
Approver: Raymond Gamble Page 12 of 12