Patient satisfaction with acute care services at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital rose last year, according to figures released yesterday.A survey carried out on behalf of Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) found that levels of satisfaction increased in 15 of the 19 areas on which hospital users were quizzed.Meanwhile, the board said it dealt with more than 260 clinical and non-clinical complaints in 2011.The survey results show that outpatient doctors got the best feedback, with 97.6 percent of patients declaring themselves satisfied with their performance.The lowest scoring area was inpatient meals, with just 66 percent of patients happy with them. But that was an improvement on the previous year, when the figure was 61.2 percent.The results (see panel) are the first ever released by BHB and are based on polls which have been carried out each month on behalf of the board by an independent company since 2009.The surveyors telephone more than 300 patients who have used KEMH’s outpatient services or been discharged from an inpatient unit within the last 30 days.They ask respondents to rate their satisfaction between one and ten in each area, with one being least satisfied and ten being most satisfied.The results show the percentage of respondents who gave a rating of seven or above.The areas where patient satisfaction improved most were the waiting time at the emergency room, the overall emergency service and outpatient doctors.Patient satisfaction decreased in pain management on the inpatient wards, the overall outpatient service and the overall surgical outpatient service.BHB chairman Wendell Brown said the results showed KEMH was on the right track, though improvements were still needed.“The monthly survey helps us direct precious financial resources where they are most effective and then measure results,” he said. “I am very pleased to see the results trending in the right direction and the board’s commitment to Bermuda is that we continue reporting our results each year.”Chief executive officer David Hill added: “I hope the community is as proud of its hospital as I am to see patient satisfaction trending up and that they will remain supportive of us on our journey to improve further.”Judy Richardson, BHB’s chief of nursing, quality and risk, said dissatisfied patients had “numerous ways” to voice their concerns, including attending focus groups and making complaints.She said a patient advocate service was established in January, 2011 to work alongside the existing formal process for clinical complaints.“The patient advocacy manager works with patients and their families to resolve non-clinical issues while they are in hospital,” added Ms Richardson.“In total, we dealt with 261 clinical and non-clinical complaints in 2011. Wherever we are found to be at fault, a quality improvement plan is established.”She said a new software system was in place to make reporting easy and accountable.Deputy CEO Venetta Symonds said the food delivery system introduced last year was a major investment and monthly figures showed satisfaction with meals was at 72.9 percent in December.Useful website: www.bhb.bm