NEW figures reveal how patients rated their experience of A&E at North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine praised emergency departments across England for their work, as patient satisfaction rose nationally amid the pressures and challenges of Covid-19.

The 2020 urgent and emergency care survey received feedback from 41,000 patients across England who attended a type one service – A&E departments, sometimes referred to as casualty or emergency departments – in September last year.

The 352 patients surveyed at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust gave the hospital an average overall experience score of 8.3 out of 10.

However, no previous survey results were available for the trust.

A third of patients nationally gave their overall experience a perfect score – up from 27% in 2016 and 29% in 2018.

NHS Providers said the survey highlighted patients' concerns about pain management, emotional support and staff availability.

But given the "extreme and unprecedented pressures" they faced, the membership organisation for trusts in England said the survey results are positive.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, added: "This is testament to the dedication and professionalism of frontline staff who strive to deliver care in the most challenging of circumstances."

Across England, 81% of respondents said they were treated with respect and dignity in A&E all of the time – up from 79% in 2018.

North Cumbria Integrated Care Trust received an average score of 9.1 out of 10 on this matter, and patients gave it a mark of 9.1 for its cleanliness – which was above the national average of 9.