MINISTRY OF HEALTH’S 2014 PATIENT SATISFACTION SURVEY SHOWS HIGHER SATISFACTION WITH PUBLIC HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS

The Ministry of Health (MOH) Patient Satisfaction Survey (PSS) 2014 found that the overall satisfaction level across all public healthcare institutions¹ (HCIs) maintained its upward trajectory since 2010. In 2014, 79.1% of respondents indicated overall satisfaction levels as “excellent” and “good”, up from 77% in 2013, which records a new five-year high.

2          All HCIs showed improvements in meeting respondents’ expectations, with an increase from 79% in 2013 to 81% in 2014 of survey respondents who rated them as “better than expected” and “slightly above expectation”. Respondents’ rating of the institutions’ value for money as “excellent” and “good” also increased from 67% in 2013 to 69% in 2014. More respondents – up from 78.3% in 2013 to 82.4% in 2014 – also said they would “strongly recommend” or “likely recommend” the services of the HCIs.

3          Respondents cited quality of doctors, quality of nurses and waiting time as the three most important factors when giving their ratings. Across all healthcare institutions, they found the staff to have good service attitude, and to be knowledgeable and professional. Respondents were also happy with the transfer of their medical information from one service point to another, as well as the follow-up by staff after they were discharged.

4          Respondents gave better ratings for questions related to “willingness to recommend the HCI to other patients”, “value for money” and “meeting expectations” compared to last year, even though the survey found that respondents’ expectations for healthcare services had also risen. However, the survey also revealed waiting time to be a key area for improvement. Respondents placed high importance on, but expressed low satisfaction with waiting times. MOH is continuously working with the HCIs to improve on this, and also expanding overall capacity in the public healthcare system.

5          The annual PSS, which is carried out by an independent survey company, enters its 10th year since it first started in 2004². It is part of MOH’s ongoing efforts to assess the level of patient satisfaction, and gather useful feedback for continual service improvements at our public HCIs. A total of 11,371 patients and caregivers participated in the 2014 survey, which was conducted from September 2014 to January 2015. The key results are attached in Annex A.

6          The survey questions will be reviewed at the next PSS. This is to ensure that they stay relevant and updated with the current healthcare landscape, enabling our public HCIs to constantly enhance and improve our medical treatments and services to the public.

¹Public Healthcare Institutions consist of Public Hospitals, National Specialty Centres, and Polyclinics. However, Alexandra Hospital was not included in the survey in view of its scaling down of services to facilitate a smooth transition for JurongHealth’s move to operate the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

²The survey was not undertaken in 2011 as the survey questionnaire was being reviewed that year.