The first ever National Patient Experience Survey in Ireland was published today 11 December 2017.
A partnership between the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health, the National Patient Experience Survey was a nationwide endeavour asking people for feedback about their stay in hospital. All adult patients discharged during May 2017 who spent 24 hours or more in a public acute hospital and had a postal address in the Republic of Ireland were asked to complete the survey. Almost 14,000 hospital patients participated in the survey, a very positive response rate of 51%.
Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD, said “This survey is based on a collaborative effort between HIQA, my department and the Health Service Executive (HSE), and the phenomenal response rate from participants is a real demonstration of the commitment we all share to improving patient care in our hospitals. I said at the outset that this exercise is about allowing the voice of the patient to be heard, and I am delighted patients have taken the opportunity in such high numbers to be heard loud and clear. I look forward now to seeing this response translated into real results and improvements for our health service.”
Mary Day, CEO of the Ireland East Hospital Group said, "On behalf of the Ireland East Hospital Group, I would like to take this time to acknowledge the hard work undertaken by our hospitals and staff in implementing many of the improvements needed to achieve our promise and commitment to deliver quality and safe patient centred care to the 1.1 million people we serve. We welcome the results of the National Patient Experience Survey Programme and thank patients who participated in the survey.
We have reviewed the results of the survey for each of our hospitals and while we are pleased that we achieved good results, we know that so much more can be done to improve how we deliver care to our patients. The survey helps us to identify the key areas where we must improve; information and communications with patients and their journey through our services.
The IEHG recognises the need for the development of a healthcare system that is sustainable and capable of delivering consistently safe high-quality services. Accordingly, a key strategic priority for the IEHG is to maximise value for our patients by achieving the best outcomes at the lowest cost using lean principles and methodologies.
In 2017 we commenced implementation of our lean healthcare transformation. The vision of the IEHG transformation plan of care aligns with that of the future of healthcare Sláintecare report in which “patient needs come first in driving safety, quality and the coordination of care.”
The programme objectives are to standardise the delivery of healthcare across the group and ensure that every patient treated receives the right care, in the right place at the right time, every time.
1. Improve patient and staff experience and patient outcomes
2. Enhance capability of our hospitals to deliver operational excellence
3. Develop and enhance continuous improvement capabilities
4. Optimise patient flow and resource utilisation
Thank you again to the 2939 patients across our network of hospitals, who took the time to provide their input into the survey. Their contribution is invaluable, and we hope that they will continue to ‘let their voice be heard’ by letting us know how we can do better in delivering the standard of services and care they expect and deserve."
In response to the results of the survey, each hospital has developed and implemented a plan setting out how they will improve patient experience based on patients’ feedback.
The National Patient Experience Survey Report can be viewed here.
The HSE response to the findings of the National Patient Experience Survey can be viewed here.
