Factors affecting care on acute hospital wards.

Aim: To identify positive and negative aspects of the quality of care for older adults admitted to acute hospital wards during the Quality Mark pilot study.

Method: A total of 306 patients and carers and 157 ward staff from 12 wards in six hospitals participated in a pilot study by completing questionnaires about the quality of care on the ward. They stated how much they agreed with a number of statements about care and provided additional free text responses.