Hospitals are using the latest technology to help patients give instant feedback on the care they receive.

Handheld computer devices have been introduced to hospital wards to give patients the chance to rate the standard of care they experience, and to make suggested improvements In turn, their feedback is used to drive up standards.

The devices are in use on all adult inpatient wards, maternity and children's departments at Worthing Hospital and St Richard's Hospital in Chichester.

It means hospital staff get immediate feedback on a whole range of questions, ranging from the cleanliness of wards to whether patients felt that staff listened to them, how kind staff were, how good the food was, how quickly call buttons were answered, and whether they would recommend the hospital to friends or relatives.

Senior ward staff can now know when their patients feel they are getting excellent care, or where improvements could be made.

It also allows senior staff to track performance over time to ensure care is improving.

All responses are confidential.

At the moment, patient feedback can only be collected within the trust's hospitals but in future patients and carers will be able to submit their views online from home.