Patient Reported Outcome Measures

Your help would be greatly appreciated by the NHS, but it is not compulsory. If you don't want to take part, don't complete the questionnaires. You can call the the patient helpline on 0800 917 1163 for further advice.

The NHS wants to improve the outcomes of operations  - and it is crucial to ask patients what they think. The questionnaires will allow the NHS to measure and improve the quality of treatment and care patients receive.

Yes, you can change your mind up to the time when the data is analysed and personal details are removed. Withdrawing your information will not affect your medical or legal rights in any way. You can contact the PROMs patient helpline for more information.

Your personal details will be held confidentially in accordance with the Data Protection Act. This will help the NHS to improve the quality of care offered to patients in the future.

Your details will also be used to post you the second questionnaire, After your operation.

The NHS will hold your personal details for up to a year. If it wants to use your information for anything else, or hold the information for more than a year, the NHS must ask for your permission first.

The handling and storage of personal information is done to strict data protection standards and overlooked by the Department of Health's information security adviser. Published reports will not contain any personal details.

If you are not happy with the treatment or care you received you have the right to complain. Every NHS organisation has a complaints procedure. To find out about it, ask a member of staff, look on the hospital or trust's website or contact the complaints department for more information.

You may, however, want to feedback positive comments on the care and services you have received. These comments are just as important as they tell NHS organisations what factors are contributing to a good experience for patients.

To learn more about your rights and the NHS complaints procedure, just visit the NHS complaints section on this site.

Yes, someone can help you complete the questionnaire, but you must be sure that the information and views provided are yours and not those of the person helping you.

You should contact the patient helpline. Helpline staff are trained to help you understand the questionnaire. They can can help you to complete the questionnaire over the phone, or provide translation services if you need help in your own language.

Please contact the patient helpline and the PROMs team will ensure you are not bothered again.

Your consent is needed for your personal details to be used. There is a consent form in the Before your operation questionnaire that is given to patients at the hospital.

Your personal details will be held and used by third party organisations working on behalf of the NHS Information Centre so that you can be sent a second questionnaire a few months later.

The NHS will add this information to other details that are relevant to your operation. Your details will only be used to help the NHS.

If you would like more information, please go to the Patient information page of this section.

The NHS uses other organisations to help handle and analyse the data you provide because of their independence, expertise in running surveys and analysing information. Only organisations with long experience in these areas have been chosen to support the NHS on PROMs.