Psychiatric inpatients' satisfaction with services: A pilot study

Fifty-three patients admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit in South London were interviewed to ascertain their satisfaction with services provided for them.

The level of satisfaction with various aspects of treatment was evaluated using a 45-item questionnaire.

Results showed that patients were generally satisfied with the staff attitudes and care, although two-thirds felt that they had not been sufficiently involved in their own treatment planning. Younger patients reported more frequent difficulties in the relationship with staff. Patients were generally satisfied with the physical environment. Patients with a higher number of previous admissions were more satisfied with the planning of care, and they were less often in conflict with the staff. Patients admitted compulsorily were less satisfied than voluntary patients with the overall quality of the help received and said they would rarely re-contact the service in the future. There was virtually no effect of ethnicity on the levels of satisfaction in different aspects of care. The only worry expressed more frequently by African-Caribbean patients was about re-contacting the service in the future, even though they felt the help received in planning their discharge was good.

It would be useful to carry out such surveys more often.