2019 findings of the National Inpatient Experience Survey launched

The results of the 2019 National Inpatient Experience Survey have been launched in the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin.

The 2019 findings show some improvements on last year, with patients reporting more positive experiences of discharge or transfer procedures. Questions on dignity, respect and privacy scored highly, and the majority of people gave a very positive rating of the cleanliness of rooms or wards. In addition, most people said that they trusted and had confidence in hospital staff.

Nonetheless, survey participants pointed to a number of areas where the HSE could improve. Significantly, 70% of people said that they were not admitted to a ward within the HSE’s target waiting time of six hours, with 331 people (4%) waiting 48 hours or more before being admitted. Long waiting times have been linked with negative health outcomes and pose a risk to patient safety.

In addition, many people said that there was not enough time to discuss their treatment with medical staff, and felt that they were not fully involved in decisions about their care or their discharge from hospital.

“Still more to do”

Responding to the publication of the results, Rachel Flynn, Director of the National Care Experience Programme, said: “Although the majority of patients reported positively on their time in hospital, a large number of patients did not. Significantly, women and younger people tended to report less positive experiences than men and people over the age of 50, as did patients of larger hospitals. While discharge planning has improved, there is still more to do, with many patients saying that they did not receive enough information on their condition, their medication and how to care for themselves at home.”

Paul Reid, HSE CEO, said: “I would like to thank our patients, their carers and families for taking the time to complete the survey and for sharing their experiences of hospital care with us. It is important that we listen to and learn from our patients so that we can continue to improve patient care. “

“I also wish to acknowledge the work of our hospital staff, who have listened to and are responding to the feedback from previous surveys, and are implementing quality improvement plans in their hospitals.”

Explore the results

The 2019 National Inpatient Experience Survey report, together with 39 reports for each participating hospital and the HSE’s quality improvement plans, can be found on this website.

View national results

View local results

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