A 360 degree appraisal of satisfaction with a surgical assessment unit in a regional hospital

To help alleviate Emergency Department overcrowding in our institution a Surgical Assessment Unit (SAU) allows patients to be referred from General Practitioners and other sources for assessment directly by senior surgical staff. We sought a 360 perspective of patients, GPs and surgical consultants who interact with the unit. We distributed a standardised Patient Satisfaction Score questionnaire1 to 115 consecutive surgical patients attending the SAU and ED. Actual times for assessment, admission and discharge were recorded and compared with those perceived by patients. We also interviewed 13 Consultant Surgeons involved in the unit and 78 GPs from across the region. The SAU effectively and promptly assesses acute surgical patients. Patients, GPs and Consultants are generally satisfied with theservice. Greater capacity, improved diagnostics access and better communication with GPs are identified as major future priorities.