MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
March 1, 2011
Local hospitals score high in overall patient satisfaction
LONDON, Ontario – London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s) rank above average in patient satisfaction with overall care according to new patient experience indicators and data on the Ontario Hospital Association’s (OHA) myhospitalcare.ca website.
LHSC’s acute inpatient care was rated better than average for overall care in 2008-09 and 2009-10, and in the Emergency Department the overall care was rated above average for 09-10. All other dimensions in inpatient and emergency care were rated as being similar to the average of Ontario hospitals.
St. Joseph's acute inpatient care was rated better than average for overall care. In addition, acute inpatient satisfaction with emotional support, information and education, and continuity and transition were rated above average for both years at St. Joseph’s. For Urgent Care, the overall quality of care was rated as better than average in 2009-10. All other dimensions were rated as being similar to the average of Ontario hospitals.
“The excellent ratings on the overall quality of care from the patient satisfaction data speak directly to the compassionate care that our staff and physicians provide to our patients,” says Roy Butler, Integrated Vice President of Quality, Strategy and Performance, for LHSC and St. Joseph’s. “We have been participating in the patient satisfaction surveys for many years and have maintained a strong level of performance.”
This new patient satisfaction data was collected by NRC Picker, an independent research company with extensive experience in patient-centered quality measurement and improvement tools. They have been working with the OHA and Ontario hospitals to survey patients since 2003. Patients voluntarily and confidentially, in accordance with privacy legislation and guidelines, evaluate the care and services they received during their hospital visit.
The OHA’s myhospitalcare.ca began posting new patient experience indicators and data today, giving Ontarians an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about how their local hospitals are performing by location, type of care, indicator, or hospital name.
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About London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre has been in the forefront of medicine in Canada for 135 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to Children’s Hospital, South Street Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital, two family medical centres, and two research institutes – Children’s Health Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute, a joint research initiative with St. Joseph’s Health Care, London. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 50 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in Southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital’s nearly 15,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for more than one million patient visits a year.
About St. Joseph’s Health Care London
St. Joseph’s Health Care, London is a major patient care, teaching and research centre with a distinguished legacy of service to London, Southwestern Ontario and the veterans of Canada, dating back more than 130 years. St. Joseph’s five key role areas include acute/ambulatory care, complex care and veterans care, long-term care, rehabilitation and specialized geriatrics and specialized mental health care. Facilities and services including St. Joseph’s Hospital, Parkwood Hospital, Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care and Regional Mental Health Care London and St. Thomas are part of the St. Joseph’s family. Our research arm, the Lawson Health Research Institute, continues to direct their research to the development of new knowledge that is continually being applied directly to patient care. More than 400,000 patients annually receive care from close to 6,000 physicians and staff at St. Joseph’s. St. Joseph’s is affiliated with the University of Western Ontario.
For media inquiries contact:
London Health Sciences Centre St. Joseph’s Health Care London
Corporate Communications & Public Relations Communication & Public Affairs
519-667-6760 519-646-6034
After-hours assistance:
Call LHSC Switchboard at 519-685-8500 and ask to page the communication consultant on-call.
Call St. Joseph’s switchboard at 519-646-6100 and ask to page the communicator on-call.
