Patients have praised the care they receive from Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) staff in a survey of hospital emergency departments.

The Healthcare Commission (HCC) survey posed two specific questions for patients who were taken to the emergency department by ambulance – one asking if the ambulance service explained their care and treatment in an understandable way and the other about the overall level of care from the ambulance service.

In each case, GWAS staff performed significantly better than the national average.

Anthony Marsh, Chief Executive of GWAS, said: “I am regularly talking to operational staff and accompanying them on call outs and it is clear that staff are dedicated to providing the highest levels of patient care.

“It is therefore very welcome to see that patients also appreciate the care they receive from our hard-working crews. Providing the best possible care for our patients is at the heart of everything we do as a service”

A third of the almost 50,000 people who responded to the HCC survey said they were taken to the emergency department by ambulance. These patients were asked: Did the ambulance service explain your care and treatment in a way you would understand?

Nationally, 78% of patients said ‘yes, definitely’ and a further 18% responded ‘yes, to some extent’. All but two of the acute trusts in the GWAS region had a higher than national average response rate for ‘yes, definitely’ Overall, how would you rate the care you received from the ambulance service?

Nationally, 69% of patients rated their care ‘excellent’ with a further 22% saying it was ‘very good’. All but two of the acute trusts in the GWAS region had a higher than national average response rate for ‘excellent’.

Patient responses were broken down by 151 acute hospital trusts across England – seven of these in the GWAS area.