The majority of patients (85%) discharged from acute public hospitals in Ireland in May 2024 rated their overall experience of hospital care as good or very good.
Areas of good patient experience included being treated with dignity and respect, confidence and trust in hospital staff, confidence in the safety of treatment and care, and pain management.
Areas needing improvement included having someone on the hospital staff for patients to talk to about their worries and concerns, more time to discuss care and treatment with a doctor, and more information on how to manage a condition after leaving hospital. Patients also needed increased opportunities for their family members to speak with a doctor and greater involvement in decisions about their own care and treatment.
Since 2022, there has been a significant increase in the scores for 16 survey questions, representing 16 different aspects of care experience for Irish patients, while there has been a decrease in scores for five questions in that period.
During May 2024, a total of 30,103 people who were discharged from 40 acute public hospitals in Ireland were invited to participate in the National Inpatient Experience Survey. In total, 12,367 people took part in the survey, resulting in a response rate of 41%.
The survey questionnaire contained 52 questions, which explored the patients’ experience of care during admission to hospital, care on the ward, care during examinations, diagnosis and treatment, care during discharge or transfer from hospital and other aspects of care.
The 2024 survey also contained questions about patient safety during their hospital stay.
Additionally, participants were asked to provide some demographic information so that differences between groups in their care experiences could be identified. For the first time, the National Inpatient Experience Survey 2024 explored whether patients’ care experiences in public acute hospitals in Ireland differed by the level of deprivation in the area where they lived.
The average score for discharge care had improved since the 2022 survey, but patients needed more information about how to manage their condition after discharge. Patients also needed clear explanations about the purpose of medicines to take at home and any side effects they may experience.
The 2024 survey findings indicate that since 2022 there have been improvements in scores for the questions about the time and opportunity that patients are given to talk to healthcare professionals about their care. Improvements have also been made in the information and explanations provided to patients about their care, and patient involvement in decisions about their care. The 2024 survey findings show improvements to almost every aspect of discharge care compared to 2022.
However, the 2024 survey findings indicate reduced scores for patients in relation to privacy during their hospital stay, compared to patients in 2022. Patients in 2024 reported that staff were less likely to introduce themselves and less likely to do everything they could to control pain, compared to patients in 2022. While the majority of patients reported that they always had confidence and trust in hospital staff, the average score for this question decreased between 2022 and 2024.
In Ireland, the target waiting time for people in the emergency department is six hours for 70% of all patients, and a target of six hours for 95% of patients aged 75 years and over.
In this survey, of the 8,029 people who reported how long they waited in the emergency department, 71.1% said that they waited longer than six hours before being admitted to a ward, with 1,078 people (13.4%) saying that they waited more than 24 hours.
Patients in older age groups were more likely to report that they waited less than six hours before being admitted to a ward, than younger patients. Further analysis of the survey data indicated that only 30.1% of patients aged 75 years and older waited less than six hours in the emergency department, 33.9% waited between 6 to 12 hours and 11% of patients aged 75 years and older reported that they waited 24 hours or more in the emergency department
Comparisons between groups
The 2024 survey findings identified significant differences between groups in their care experiences. Across all stages of hospital care, responses from women scored lower than men. Patients whose hospital visit was planned in advance tended to report more positive experiences than patients who required an emergency admission. Younger age groups (particularly those aged 16-35 years) reported more negative experiences of inpatient care than other age groups. Patients with a disability had consistently poorer care experiences during their hospital stay compared to patients who did not have a disability.
Similar to previous years, the HSE will respond to the results of the 2024 survey by producing quality improvement plans. The HSE will coordinate its response to the survey through a national oversight group, with local implementation of quality improvement initiatives led by staff from hospitals and health regions, working together with patient partners. These initiatives will build on the work conducted since 2017,which has included programmes to improve admissions, hospital food and nutrition, and discharge information for patients, as well as clearer medication instructions and activity programmes for older patients.
