Majority Happy With A&E Care - Report

84% of patients who attended A&E across 2012/13 rated their overall care as either 'excellent' or 'good', according to figures released by the Department of Health.

The same was true for 88% of inpatients and 87% of outpatients.

The report found that three-quarters of outpatients (72%) and inpatients (70%) thought they were admitted as soon as needed, while three-quarters of those seeking an appointment within two days (75%) were able to get one.

89% of respondents who had visited their GP within the last six months were fairly satisfied or very satisfied with the care they received.

Around four-fifths of respondents rated Health and Social Care Services as excellent or good in terms of safety (82%), patient experience (79%) and effectiveness (78%).

The figures also show that almost three-quarters of respondents (72%) described their health as being good or very good while 9% said their health was bad or very bad.

Almost one-quarter of respondents (24%) were current smokers, with smoking prevalence higher in the most deprived areas (37%) than in the least deprived areas (12%).

Almost four-fifths of respondents (79%) aged 18 and over stated that they drank alcohol, while 15% said that they had never drank alcohol.

A quarter of adults (25%) were obese with a further two-fifths (37%) classed as overweight. Males (69%) were more likely than females (57%) to be overweight or obese.

Three-quarters of children aged 2-10 years old (75%) were either underweight or normal weight, while a fifth (19%) were overweight and 6% were classed as obese.

(IT/MH)