People across Scotland continue to rate their experience of hospital care as highly positive, according to latest figures.
In the latest Inpatient Experience Survey, 20,000 people answered a range of questions covering topics such as hospital environment, staff and operations.
Overall results show 86 per cent rate their full experience positively, with more than a third of people giving their care full marks.
People were particularly pleased about experiences with the staff who cared for them, with positive ratings at 91 per cent, the highest level since 2014.
88 per cent of people said that staff listened to them, and also that staff discussed their condition and treatment in a way they could understand.
If people were in hospital for an operation or procedure, 86 per cent said that the risks and benefits were explained to them beforehand in a way that they could understand, up 4 percentage points from 2014.
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Jeane Freeman said: “Our NHS does a great job. Patients are telling us that our hard working staff are providing high levels of hospital care, which focuses on good communication and a personalised approach.
“We’re determined to go further and keep learning from feedback from patients and their families so we can keep improving our services.
“We will continue to work alongside staff across the health service to achieve this and provide the high level of care patients expect.”
Scottish Inpatient Experience Survey 2018