Ward meetings: a forum for patients' concerns

A series of meetings between patients and staff were held on two general medical wards to discuss the concerns of patients. Issues ranged from the quality of hospital food, ward facilities, and visiting arrangements to the medical and nursing care provided and patients' views on medical students. Most issues were raised by the patients themselves and the outcome was either acceptance or rejection of a suggestion, an explanation by the staff, or a general discussion if a specific decision was inappropriate. Most staff and patients considered the meetings to be valuable. Ward meetings thus seem to provide a way of making hospitals more responsive to patients' concerns.