Comparing the experience of patients

An understanding of variations in patients’ experiences of care is essential if the NHS is to meet the commitments to address inequalities in health. A great deal is known about inequalities and variations in health status between different population groups, but much less is understood about variations in patients’ experiences of health services.

Evidence shows that the experience of patients using NHS services is influenced by a number of factors including; age, gender, educational status, ethnic origin, trust type, method of admission, place of residence and local deprivation. There may also be complex interactions between these factors.

Variations in the experiences of patients using the NHS services in England, November 2006

This report is based on an analysis of the results of four surveys of patients conducted by the Healthcare Commission during 2004/2005:

• survey of people who use mental health services
• survey of patients who use local health services (primary care trusts)
• survey of patients who use emergency departments
• survey of patients who use outpatient departments

A total of 282,631 patients who used services provided by 535 NHS organisations took part in these four surveys.

The results of these analyses indicate notable differences between the self-reported experiences of patients from a range of different backgrounds. This emphasises the need for health services to cater sensitively to the needs of different groups in order to provide the best services. However, the results only go some way to identifying the differences between groups of patients and do not examine how their experiences may vary further in relation to their consulting condition.

Variations in the experiences of patients using the NHS services in England (pdf 2298kb) (opens new window)

Previous surveys

Variations in the experiences of patients in England - 2003/2004(pdf 1310kb) (opens new window)

Unpacking the patients' perspective: Variations in NHS patient experience in England (pdf 566kb) (opens new window)

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