PATIENT satisfaction with the healthcare provided by NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney is amongst the highest in the Eastern region, a new study has revealed.

PATIENT satisfaction with the healthcare provided by NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney is amongst the highest in the Eastern region, a new study has revealed.

The annual Attitudes to Healthcare survey, published this week, showed that the vast majority of Great Yarmouth and Waveney patients are happy with the treatment and care they receive from their local NHS.

Residents also said the services offered in the area had improved over the past few years - and are continuing to do so.

The survey, carried out by Ipsos MORI on behalf of NHS East of England, saw more than 400 people interviewed over the phone. They were asked their opinions on a variety of areas, including the service offered by their local A&E department, GP practice, hospital and dentist.

NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney recorded better than average results in a number of key areas, consistently featuring in the top four primary care trusts in the region.

Key findings included:

Patient satisfaction with the health service in Great Yarmouth and Waveney is among the highest in the Eastern region.

People in Great Yarmouth and Waveney agree that their local NHS helps improve their health and wellbeing, provides a good service, is improving the service it offers and gives patients a choice about their treatment and care.

Patients are more likely to feel safe in hospital than the average for the East of England.

Residents are significantly more satisfied than the regional average with accident and emergency departments, outpatient services, out of hours services, NHS dentistry, hospital cleanliness and waiting times.

Mike Stonard, chief executive of NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney, said: “We are extremely pleased with the results of this survey, which show that patients are happy with the care and treatment they receive from the area's health service.

“We are striving to provide everyone in Great Yarmouth and Waveney with the best possible care, both now and in years to come, and will now look at the results of the survey in more detail to identify any areas where we could improve still further.

“We would like to thank all of the patients who took part as the feedback they have given us is extremely useful.”