HSE CEO, Mr. Bernard Gloster said it was reassuring for him to see that the majority of patients, 85% of those who responded, rated their overall experience of hospital care as ‘very good’ or ‘good’. Most survey participants felt they were treated with respect and dignity during their hospital stay and the majority of participants reported that they had confidence and trust in the hospital staff who cared for them.
“The results tell us most patients felt confident in the safety of their treatment and care and felt that there was good communication about their care and treatment between hospital staff,” he said, writing in “Listening, Responding and Improving, The HSE response to the findings of the National Inpatient Experience Survey
“While there are many positives in this survey, we must not be complacent and the survey has identified a number of areas for improvement in inpatient care experience. This survey has highlighted to us that patients need sufficient time to discuss care and treatment with a doctor, increased opportunities for their family members to speak with a doctor and greater involvement in decisions about their own care and treatment.
“Patients have also indicated that they need a member of staff to talk to about their worries and fears during their hospital stay. Learning is a core component of delivering safe and effective healthcare and achieved by, amongst other things, ‘listening, responding and improving’ – which are the areas of focus of this HSE report.
“Our acute hospitals are grouped by health region within this report to reflect the changes that the HSE has undergone since the last inpatient experience survey in 2022. I wish to thank the staff and managers from each participating hospital for developing this response, designed to improve patient experience across all acute hospital services in Ireland.”
