We use surveys to find out what people think of the NHS healthcare services that they use.

The results help assess NHS performance. We also use them for regulatory activities such as registration, monitoring ongoing compliance and reviews.

You can find out about our most recently published surveys below.

Emergency department survey 2016

Published: October 2017

This survey collected information on the experiences of more than 45,000 patients who had received care from an emergency department in September 2016.

Most people were positive about the quality of interactions with doctors and nurses.

People were positive about information and communication while in the emergency department.

Some patients waited too long to receive pain relief.

Information provision when leaving the emergency department remains a problem for many patients.

Adult inpatient survey 2016

Published: May 2017

This survey looked at the experiences of 77,850 people who received care at an NHS hospital in July 2016.

The quality of communication between medical professionals (doctors and nurses) and patients continues to improve.

The experience of patients who have mental health conditions were poorer than for other patient groups.

Patient’s perceptions of the standard of hospital cleanliness remains positive.

Support when leaving hospital remains a problem for many patients.

Community mental health survey 2016

Published: November 2016

This survey gathered information from over 13,000 people who received community mental health services in September-November 2015.

Around two thirds of respondents reported a positive experience of their overall care.

The survey results suggest scope for further improvements in a number of areas.

The results for some questions asking about contact with staff were positive.

Substantial concerns remain about the quality of care some people using community mental health services receive.

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Maternity services survey 2015

Published: January 2016

This survey collected the experiences of over 20,000 women who had a live birth in early 2015. It follows an earlier survey carried out in 2013.

There was an increase in the number of women who said they were always treated with dignity and respect during labour and birth.

More women said they were offered a choice of giving birth in a midwife led unit or birth centre.

There has been an increase in the number of women who said that they saw the same midwife at every antenatal appointment.

More women said they felt they were "always" given the information or explanations they needed whilst in hospital and after the birth of their baby.

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Trends in the Adult Inpatient Survey 2005-2014

Published: November 2015

This analysis looks at the experiences of people receiving adult inpatient services over a ten year period.

Patients’ experiences of care have generally been good.

Most areas we ask patients about have seen little meaningful change or improvement.

Patients report substantial improvements in areas such as cleanliness and mixed sex accommodation.

There have been areas of deterioration, for example in waiting times.

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Children and young people's survey 2014

Published: July 2015

This is the first national children’s survey conducted by CQC. It represents the experiences of nearly 19,000 children and young people who received inpatient or day case care in 2014

Overall, children and their parents or carers reported good experiences of care.

41% of parents and carers felt staff were not always aware of their child’s medical history before treating them.

32% said staff were not always available when their child needed attention.

Hospitals are not consistently involving older children in making decisions about their care.

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Ambulance survey of Hear and Treat callers 2013/14

Published: 2014

This survey looked at the experiences of over 2,900 people who called an ambulance service in December 2013 and January 2014.

Most people were positive, but some did not understand or agree with the advice given at the end of the call.

Overall, callers were more likely to agree with the decision to not send an ambulance if they had received a full explanation of the reasons.

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Outpatient survey 2011

This survey collected patients' experiences of their most recent visit to an outpatient department.

More people felt that they were treated with respect and dignity.

Staff need to improve the way they provide information to patients.