Research project

No data about us without us: co-designing the integration of health inequalities into the National Inpatient Experience Survey

The National Inpatient Experience Survey is a survey that gives people who have been in hospital in Ireland the opportunity to describe the positive and negative aspects of their hospital stay. The survey results are used to develop plans for improving hospital care. However, participation is lower among marginalised communities and the current survey does not ask participants if they are from communities that are marginalised. The survey also cannot tell us if people from marginalised communities experience better or worse care in hospital.

The aim of this project is to help people from marginalised communities and staff who collect or use data from the National Inpatient Experience Survey to work together through a co-designed initiative to:

Who is conducting this research?

The Principal Investigator is Dr Chris Noone from the University of Galway, and the Lead Knowledge User from the Health Information and Quality Authority is Dr Conor Foley. Over the course of the project, research will be carried out by Dr David Healy. The project is funded by the Health Research Board Applied Partnership Award, which means that researchers from the university and health services work together on a project that benefits the health service. A steering group and patient and public involvement advisory group have also been set up to ensure relevant stakeholders are part of key project decision-making processes throughout the project.

Community partners who have joined the project steering group to date include; COPE Galway, LGBT Ireland, Galway City Community Network, and the Patient Advocacy Service. Our institutional partners include the Health Service Executive, the Department of Health and Picker Institute Europe. The current steering group is presented below.

Project steering group

Chris Noone

University of Galway

David Healy

University of Galway

Sonto Madonsela

University of Galway

Conor Foley

HIQA - National Care Experience Programme

Lorna Sweeney

HIQA - National Care Experience Programme

Jennifer McSharry

University of Galway

John Gilmore

University College Dublin

Gavin O'Dowd

Department of Health

Kay Caball

PPI Representative - National Inpatient Experience Survey Advisory Group

Louise Locock

University of Aberdeen

Oonagh Meade

University of Galway

Éidín Ni Shé

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Jenny King

Picker Institute Europe

Peter Sajjad

COPE Galway CLG

James O'Hagan

LGBT Ireland

Georgina Cruise

Patient Advocacy Service

Emma Kelly

Patient Advocacy Service

Brigid Quirke

HSE Social Inclusion

Andrea Cirbuco

University of Galway

Jacinta Fay

Long Covid Advocacy Ireland/Galway City Community Network

Elaine Newell

HSE

Lorraine Lally

Epilepsy Ireland/Neurological Alliance of Ireland/Member of the National Disability Authority

David Byrne

Age Action

Maura Grogan

Quality Manager – Tipperary University Hospital

Why are we doing this research?

The World Health Organization describes health inequalities as “differences in health status or in the distribution of health resources between different population groups, arising from the social conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age”. Marginalised communities are more likely to experience health inequalities. Without adequate data on health inequalities in hospital care, the HSE cannot develop plans to address them. It is therefore essential to ensure marginalised communities can share their experiences of inpatient care and for this to be considered in the future planning of care.

Project outline

Work package 1: Conceptualising Health Inequalities in Patient Experience Surveys.

Work package 2: Understanding Experiences of Inequality in Public Acute Healthcare among members of Marginalised Communities.

Work package 3: Co-designing Strategies for Enhancing the Sensitivity of the National Inpatient Experience Survey to Health Inequalities in Public Acute Healthcare.

Project Outputs

Publications

Healy D, Gilmore J, King J et al. Exploring how health inequalities are conceptualised and measured in patient experience surveys in acute care: a protocol for a scoping review [version 2; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]. HRB Open Res 2025, 7:74

 

Conference presentations

Poster presentation at the Structured Population Health-Services Research Education (SPHeRE) Network 11th Annual Conference

The conference showcases different aspects of population health, health services and policy research that address key policy and health system challenges resulting in positive health system change.

4 March 2025 | Dublin, Ireland

 

Poster presentation title: Exploring how health inequalities are conceptualised and measured in patient experience surveys in acute care: a scoping review

Authors

David Healy (presenter), John Gilmore, Jenny King, Jenny McSharry, Oonagh Meade, Éidín Ní Shé, Lorna Sweeny, Conor Foley, Chris Noone

  1. School of Psychology, University of Galway, Ireland,
  2. University College Dublin, School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems, Health Sciences Centre
  3. Picker Institute Europe, UK
  4. Graduate School of Healthcare Management, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  5. Health Information and Quality Authority, Ireland

 

Oral presentation at the Irish Street Medicine Symposium

A symposium for all those working in the area of health and homelessness, and other vulnerable groups. By promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, the symposium seeks to advance street medicine initiatives, ensuring that vital healthcare services reach those in dire need across Ireland

23 – 24 May 2025 | Dublin Ireland

 

Oral presentation title: No data about us without us: co-designing a more inclusive National Inpatient Experience Survey with marginalised communities

Authors

David Healy (presenter), Chris Noone, Conor Foley, Lorna Sweeny

  1. School of Psychology, University of Galway, Ireland
  2. Health Information and Quality Authority, Ireland

 

Oral presentation at the 1st European Conference on Social Medicine (ECSM)

ECSM aims to create a community of scholars who strive to address the interconnected challenges that our collective health and health systems face as well as suggest solutions and initiatives by calling upon methods from the health professions, social sciences, and the humanities.

20 – 22 June 2025 | Oslo, Norway

 

Oral presentation title: Exploring how health inequalities are conceptualised and measured in patient experience surveys in acute care: a scoping review.

Authors

David Healy (presenter), John Gilmore, Jenny King, Jenny McSharry, Oonagh Meade, Éidín Ní Shé, Lorna Sweeny, Conor Foley, Sonto Madonsela, Chris Noone

  1. School of Psychology, University of Galway, Ireland,
  2. University College Dublin, School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems, Health Sciences Centre
  3. Picker Institute Europe, UK
  4. Graduate School of Healthcare Management, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  5. Health Information and Quality Authority, Ireland

 

Oral and poster presentations at the 14TH Conference of the International Society for Critical Health Psychology (ISCHP)

The conference theme is “Contesting borders” to challenge the borders between different fields of health research, to highlight health issues that divide communities, and to acknowledge how the shared colonial history of Ireland and so many other countries shapes health inequalities.

01 – 04 July 2025 | Galway, Ireland

 

Oral presentation title: Exploring how health inequalities are conceptualised and measured in patient experience surveys in acute care: a scoping review

Authors

David Healy (presenter), John Gilmore, Jenny King, Jenny McSharry, Oonagh Meade, Éidín Ní Shé, Lorna Sweeny, Conor Foley, Sonto Madonsela, Chris Noone

  1. School of Psychology, University of Galway, Ireland,
  2. University College Dublin, School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems, Health Sciences Centre
  3. Picker Institute Europe, UK
  4. Graduate School of Healthcare Management, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  5. Health Information and Quality Authority, Ireland

 

Poster presentation title: Understanding experiences of inequality in public acute healthcare among members of marginalised communities in Ireland

Authors

David Healy (presenter), Jenny McSharry, Oonagh Meade, Lorna Sweeny, Conor Foley, Chris Noone

  1. School of Psychology, University of Galway, Ireland
  2. Health Information and Quality Authority, Ireland

 

Poster accepted for the Society for Social Medicine & Population Health Annual Scientific Meeting (SSM)

An interdisciplinary conference focused on population health, social determinants of health, and applied public health research

10 – 12 September 2025 | Bradford, United Kingdom

 

Poster presentation title: Exploring how health inequalities are conceptualised and measured in patient experience surveys in acute care: a scoping review

Authors

David Healy (presenter), John Gilmore, Jenny King, Jenny McSharry, Oonagh Meade, Éidín Ní Shé, Lorna Sweeny, Conor Foley, Sonto Madonsela, Chris Noone

  1. School of Psychology, University of Galway, Ireland
  2. University College Dublin, School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Systems, Health Sciences Centre
  3. Picker Institute Europe, UK
  4. Graduate School of Healthcare Management, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
National Care Experience Programme
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