Responding to the latest annual survey of hospital inpatients by Care Quality Commission (CQC), the chief executive of NHS Providers, Sir Julian Hartley said:

"NHS trust leaders and their teams are working flat out to ensure people get the care they need as quickly as possible. But, as these latest figures from CQC show, they still have a long way to go to restore patient satisfaction with their care while in hospital to pre-pandemic levels.

"Far too many people face long delays for care and treatment- often at the expense of their health and wellbeing. These frustrations are being compounded at the end of their care when patients are ready to leave hospital too.

"While challenges persist, it is testament to the hard work and dedication of NHS staff that most patients are positive about interactions with frontline teams. They see how hard they are working, often in incredibly challenging conditions.

"But with pressures mounting across the whole health and care system and an ongoing mismatch between capacity and demand, it is vital we pull every lever to get NHS performance back on track.

"Alongside measures to boost recruitment and retention of hardworking NHS staff, trust leaders also want to see investment across the health and care system, including ambulance, community, mental health, primary and social care services, to help ease the burden on hugely overstretched hospitals."