UK Socialized Medicine: Doctors don't trust their own hospitals

The Telegraph ^ | 2/28/2013 | Robert Winnett

[bruinbirdman]

Up to two-thirds of doctors and nurses at some hospitals would not recommend that their family and friends are treated where they work, internal NHS figures disclose on Friday.

Staff at North Cumbria University Hospitals and United Lincolnshire Hospitals are the least likely to recommend treatment, according to figures that are being scrutinised closely by ministers.

Less than 40 per cent of those employed at the trusts, both of which have relatively high death rates, would recommend the treatment available, compared with more than 90 per cent of staff at the top-rated hospitals.

Nationally, almost 40 per cent of NHS staff would not recommend the treatment available at their hospitals to their friends and family.

The figures are based on an internal NHS survey of more than 100,000 staff working at more than 259 NHS organisations across England.

The Daily Telegraph on Friday will publish the full details of the “family and friends” test which the Prime Minister believes provides one of the most accurate indicators on the quality of hospital care.

In the survey, 203,000 NHS staff were asked to react to the statement: “If a friend or relative needed treatment, I would be happy with the standard of care provided by this organisation,” saying whether they strongly agreed, strongly disagreed, agreed, disagreed or had no view.

More than 101,000 staff responded. Nationally, 63 per cent said they strongly agreed or agreed with the statement; 12 per cent said they disagreed or disagreed strongly; 25% did not “express a preference”. Therefore, 37 per cent of staff did not recommend treatment.

At 17 NHS trusts, fewer than half of staff would recommend treatment to friends and families.

The North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust, which runs Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle and the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven, was the worst