CHILDREN’S services at Worcestershire’s three major hospitals have fared well in a national survey.

In a national study of children’s wards and day case units carried out by the Care Quality Commission last year, youngsters at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, Kidderminster Hospital and Redditch’s Alexandra Hospital rated their overall experience 8.6 out of 10, while their parents and carers rated the services 8.7 out of ten.

Nationally 87 per cent of children rated their experiences at least seven out of ten.

Out of the 61 questions in the survey Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the three hospitals, scored above the national average on eight and equal to the average on the remaining 53.

The trust scored particularly well on the availability of staff as well as how well the listened to patients and explained what would happen during an operation.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) report found that children’s wards and day case units at the Alexandra, Kidderminster and Worcestershire Royal hospitals, scored higher than the national average on the availability and listening nature of staff and explaining what would happen during operations or procedures, among other areas.

Parents and carers also ranked the availability of hot drinks at the three hospitals at 9.9 out of 10 – the highest score in the country.

Matron for Worcestershire’s children’s services Dana Picken welcomed the findings, saying: “It’s fantastic to hear that our patients and their parents or carers are finding the care we provide to the children and young people of Worcestershire and beyond to be so positive.

“It’s great to see both parents and carers, and children and young people, have a say in the results of this survey and it’s clear to see where their opinions differ when it comes to hospital food.”

But she said, although parents and carers rated their child’s enjoyment of hospital food as 7.7 out of 10 – the highest score in the country – the youngsters themselves gave it just 5.5 out of 10 and said the trust would be working on improving meals and snack time.

“There are a few other areas where we would like to see our scores beat the national average and we are currently working with families to see where we can further improve our services,” she said.

Nationally the study showed 43 per cent of 12 to 15-year-olds did not feel fully involved in their own care while 41 per cent of parents and carers felt doctors and nurses were not fully aware of their child’s medical history. The survey also revealed particular problems with care given to children with mental health problems or learning difficulties.

The study included three different questionnaires, each with a corresponding survey for parents of cares – one for children aged zero to seven, another for those aged between eight and 11 and a third for 12 to 15-year-olds.

The results help the CQC decide which services to inspect as a priority.

To view the full survey visit www.cqc.org.uk.