HOSPITAL bosses are bringing in quieter bins on wards in Nottingham – because patients say closing the lids keeps them awake at night.

The city's hospital trust was rated among the worst 20% for patients being disturbed by noise, in a new survey

Doors have been fitted on bed bays at the City Hospital and the Queen's Medical Centre and more are to be installed.

Waste bins with quieter lids have also been distributed across both campuses.

The new bins, which have been in place since December, are foot-operated and can be lowered gently to avoid making a loud noise.

The survey carried out for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) for inpatient services across the country took the views of 400 patients from Nottingham.

The hospital trust scored highly for how patients were treated by staff during operations and procedures.

It was rated in the top 20% in the country for the explanations given to patients about how they would feel after operations and what would happen to them.

Now bosses are bringing in new measures at both hospitals to improve areas where concerns have been highlighted. They say the introduction of the new bins was not because of the survey but followed their own patient feedback.

Staff are being trained to understand the conditions of patients better.

In addition, £2.2m is being spent on same-sex accommodation, improved signs and better toilets.

The trust scored poorly for the number of patients sharing a sleeping area with people of the opposite sex.

It was also rated low for the number of nurses on duty.

Jenny Leggott, director for nursing and midwifery at the trust, said: "The survey shows that most patients are highly appreciative of the care they receive.

"We remain determined to continue to improve and we are working hard to ensure that we do so."

Trish Cargill, who chairs the trust's patient partnership group, said: "It is encouraging to see that patients are experiencing improvements."

Nationally, the CQC survey showed improvements in hospital infection control but persistent problems with mixed-sex accommodation and call-answering.

Chief executive Cynthia Bower said: "We will be doing more to ensure people's views have more clout."

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robert.parsons@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk