The launch of the findings of the 2022 National Nursing Home Experience Survey

The results of the 2022 National Nursing Home Experience Survey were launched on Tuesday, 1 November at the Richmond Education and Events Centre.

Angela Fitzgerald, Chief Executive of HIQA and Chair of the National Care Experience Programme Steering Group, was joined by nursing home representatives Loretta Kinsella, Norman Long, Mary Duffy; Anne Marie Woods (Director of Nursing, Newtownpark House), Siobhan McArdle (Assistant Secretary, Social Care, Mental Health & Drug Policy Division, Department of Health), Damien McCallion (Chief Operations Officer, HSE), Tadhg Daly (CEO, Nursing Homes Ireland) and Tracy O’Carroll, Head of National Care Experience Programme, HIQA.

The survey, which is the first ever national survey of nursing home care in Ireland, asked residents in participating nursing homes — HSE, private and voluntary — about their lived experience of nursing home care, the quality of care and support they receive, and how this meets their needs. One nominated family member or friend of each resident was also invited to take part in the survey and comment on the care provided to their loved one.

A stratified sample of nursing homes, representative of the entire population of nursing homes in Ireland, was selected to participate in the survey between March and May 2022, a time when COVID-19 was still prevalent.

The National Nursing Home Experience Survey was developed in close collaboration with public and private providers. In order to be more inclusive of residents with cognitive impairment or residents who may lack the capacity to complete a paper questionnaire, a face to face interview-based survey was developed for residents. The survey aimed to gather information about their experiences of living in a nursing home and their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. It asked over 40 questions on topics such as person-centred care, daily routines and activities, privacy, involvement in decisions, staff, and food and nutrition, as well as questions on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected them.

A separate questionnaire was developed for relatives and friends to get an understanding of their experiences of having a loved one in a nursing home, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three reports — a national overview, a report on residents’ experiences of nursing homes and another on the experience of relatives and friends — are available here.