BUPA may finally be on the starting blocks in the Irish health insurance market, but the British company would appear to have a fight on its hands, judging from the results of a previously undisclosed VHI customer satisfaction survey. It apparently shows an extraordinarily high level of satisfaction among the company's subscribers.

Over 14,000 VHI patients were questioned in the survey, conducted by Irish Marketing Surveys, and up to 40 hospitals were involved. It is one of the biggest surveys of its kind ever carried out in the State and was presented to the board of the VHI this week.

The company, which has 1.4 million subscribers, decided on the survey to see exactly what consumers thought of the service they were getting. Previous contact had usually been by members making contact about their hospital stay and detailing what they thought of the doctors or the hospitals. But the VHI wanted to establish a benchmark position to see what it needed to improve. The results left it pleasantly surprised.

Patients were sent a questionnaire with their claim form, after they had left hospital. It asked over 50 questions involving admission details, the level of service, accommodation, whether they got the bed they wanted, if they liked the food, if it was good value for money and if they would go back and stay in the same hospital again.

Just 3 per cent said they did not want to continue as private patients, leaving an overwhelming 97 per cent saying they would.

In response to another question 94 per cent said they were "satisfied or very satisfied" with the friendliness of the hospital staff. Just 1 per cent less gave the same response for the level of service from the nursing staff. And 89 per cent were happy with the level of general comfort in the hospital, and a similar figure for the standard of accommodation.

Asked if they had been put in the kind of room they wanted during treatment 91 per cent said they had. Over 75 per cent were admitted within three weeks of asking under a third were admitted straight away and half within a week. Up to 7 per cent had their admissions cancelled.

The average cost of a week in hospital is £1,900. But when asked if they had been made aware of the cost of health care during their hospital stay two thirds of the respondents said that they had not. Just over half said it was good value for money, but a third did not know whether it was or not.

Over 14,000 questionnaires were sent out. There was a 65 per cent initial response rate, but 11 per cent were cut because they had responded on a previous hospital stay. The non respondents were also looked at, according to VHI sources, and it was discovered that they had the same age and sex profile as those who did reply.

At the same time, the VHI conducted its own survey, visiting the hospitals involved to study conditions, having drawn up criteria beforehand. Now it will be presenting details of both surveys, which were found to tally, to individual hospitals.

Not surprisingly, VHI sources say they are "delighted" with the results of the survey. The company intends to carry them out regularly to "make sure the excellent levels are maintained"