Mayo University Hospital welcomes the publication of the National Inpatient Experience Survey 2024

The results of the National Inpatient Experience Survey, carried out in all public hospitals in Ireland in May, have been published. This is the sixth year that the survey has been carried out and was an opportunity for patients of Mayo University Hospital to describe their experiences in hospital.

Welcoming the findings, Catherine Donohoe, Hospital Manager said, “The findings of the survey provide us with important insights into patients’ perspectives of how they experienced treatment in our hospital and what improvements are needed to our services. It also helps us see how the patient voice has helped us change and improve hospital care since 2017 when the first survey was carried out.

“We are very pleased that the majority of participants from Mayo University Hospital reported positive experiences in hospital. 85% of participants said they had a ‘good’ to ‘very good’ overall experience.

Areas where patients identified good experiences included patients stating; they always felt treated with respect and dignity in hospital; offered food that met their dietary needs; always received help from staff, when needed, to get to the bathroom or toilet; and always given enough privacy when being examined or treated.

Some of the areas where patients identified as needing improvement included: not receiving enough information from the hospital on how to manage their condition after discharge; and some patients who wanted to give feedback or make a complaint, did not know how or where to do so.

“We are using the results of this survey to help us prioritise quality improvements for the coming year. As part of our improvement plan in the areas needing improvement outlined we will increase the use of Patient Information Booklets at the point of admission which includes information on discharge planning, contact information, how to provide feedback through PALS, complaints; support information and what to do if they feel unwell at home.

“Ward based volunteers will promote the Patient Information Booklet whilst speaking with inpatients. We will also promote the ‘Guidelines for Communicating Clearly using Plain English’ via staff newsletter and with any staff who are developing or reviewing patient information publications; and communicate to all clinical staff via the ‘Length of Stay and Readmission QI Group’ regarding effective discharge planning including written information.

“I would like to thank all the patients who took part in the survey and the staff who encouraged and facilitated it.”

As stated in the survey results for Mayo University Hospital, one patient commented, “The processing speed was very good. From entry at A & E to admission to a ward was approx. 4 hours. Care and attention of all staff was excellent throughout my admission and stay.”

Tony Canavan, Regional Executive Officer HSE West and North West said, “Through this survey our patients have provided us with really valuable feedback on their experience of care in our hospitals. I want to thank them for taking the time to do so. It is their engagement that allows us to further strengthen and improve our services. I would also like to thank our staff who support and encourage our patients to participate in this survey and for their commitment to providing good quality, patient-centered care. They are committed to making improvements for our patients.

“This survey allows us to engage with our patients and learn from and embed areas we are doing well in and also highlight areas we could do better in. The 2024 results showed that 84% of patients across our hospitals had a positive experience of care and this is something we are very proud of. We will continue to develop and introduce initiatives in response to areas where our patient’s feedback has not been satisfactory.”