Patient survey at Nenagh Hospital
Nenagh Hospital and South Tipperary General Hospital are participating in the National Patient Experience Survey, a new nationwide survey asking patients for their views on hospital care.
With an estimated 27,000 patients eligible to participate, approximately 700 of these in the Tipperary area, this will be the largest single survey of the healthcare system to be conducted in Ireland. All adult patients who spend at least 24 hours in a public hospital and who are discharged during the month of May will be asked to complete the survey.
The National Patient Experience Survey covers all aspects of a patients’ stay in hospital, including admission and discharge, the ward environment, interaction with staff, and care and treatment. The survey contains 58 tick-box questions and three openended questions, where participants have the opportunity to comment on what they found good about the care they received in hospital, and also provide suggestions for improvement.
HIQA’s Tracy O’Carroll, visiting both Nenagh Hospital and South Tipperary General Hospital last week, encourages all eligible patients in Tipperary to participate in the survey: “This is a great opportunity for patients to tell us about their hospital experience. By taking part in the National Patient Experience Survey patients can help us to identify areas for improvement, and also tell us the positive work that is carried out every day in Irish hospitals”.
Welcoming the launch of the survey, Maria Barry, General Manager of South Tipperary General Hospital,
says: “There are a number of ways in which patients can and do provide feedback on our hospital services. In South Tipperary General Hospital we work continuously to refine our services on the feedback received. However, we can always improve on our services and are delighted that our patients’ voices will be listened to as part of the National Patient Experience Survey.”
Cathrina Ryan, Operational Director of Nursing at Nenagh Hospital, adds: “Patient feedback has always been important and encouraged in Nenagh Hospital. We continuously strive to make improvements based on what our patients tell us. This national survey is a fantastic opportunity on a large scale to gain invaluable feedback and a greater insight into what our patients experience when they use our services.”
It is accepted internationally that the key to creating a better healthcare service is to focus on the patient and to learn from their experiences. With this in mind, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has joined forces with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health to carry out the first ever National Patient Experience Survey.
The results of the survey will be used to improve the standard of hospital care for all patients, not just in Tipperary, but across the country. The responses will help to set priorities for the delivery of better patient-centred care in all Irish hospitals, with the aim of creating more effective and efficient healthcare organisations, both nationally, and locally.
The National Patient Experience Survey will allow for comparisons of patient experiences at a hospital-group and national level, but also, for the first time in Ireland, facilitate a comparison with international best practice. Patient experience surveys are regularly conducted in other countries, including Scotland, England, Denmark and New Zealand.
Patients eligible to participate in the National Patient Experience Survey will receive a survey pack in the post approximately two weeks after their discharge from either Nenagh Hospital or South Tipperary General Hospital. This pack contains the survey, an information leaflet and a Freepost envelope in which to return the completed survey. The survey can also be completed online up until July 26th.
UL Hospitals Group is delighted to be part of this joint initiative between the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the HSE and the Department of Health. Since May 1st, all adult patients who were discharged from a public acute hospital during the month will be invited to participate in the survey. Up to 27,000 patients nationally will be eligible to take part making this the largest single survey of the healthcare system in Ireland.
In excess of 2,000 of these patients will be asked to describe their experiences in University Hospital Limerick, Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, St John’s Hospital and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital.
Maternal health and paediatric services do not come under the ambit of the current survey and, accordingly, patients discharged from University Maternity Hospital Limerick will not
be participating. Patients will be asked 61 questions on topics such a confidence
and trust in hospital staff, hospital food, care and treatment, and whether their medications and possible side-effects were explained before discharge from hospital. Find out more about the National Patient Experience Survey at www.patientexperience.ie, on Twitter @NPESurvey or on Facebook / NPESurvey.