Thousands of patients discharged from three Limerick hospitals during the month of May are encouraged to participate in the second ever National Patient Experience Survey.
The survey, which is the largest of its kind in Ireland, gives patients the opportunity to share their experiences of hospital care to help us identify what is working well in our hospitals, and where improvements are needed.
An estimated 28,000 patients across the country will be eligible to take part in this year’s survey. Participants will be asked a total of 61 questions on topics such as confidence and trust in hospital staff, care and treatment on the ward, hospital food, and the provision of information and support upon discharge. The survey can be completed either online or in paper form.
HIQA’s Rachel Flynn, visiting University Hospital Limerick today, Thursday, encourages all eligible patients in Limerick to participate in the survey: “This is a great opportunity for patients to tell us about their hospital experiences. Almost 14,000 patients participated in the inaugural survey last year — an exceptional response rate for a survey of this kind. The results of the 2018 survey will enable us to pinpoint where positive progress has been made in our hospitals over the last 12 months and identify where further work is needed.”
Professor Colette Cowan, CEO of UL Hospitals Group, commented: “The results of the 2017 survey provided us with a rich source of information to help improve hospital care. We used the results to develop quality improvement plans, which outlined how patients’ priorities are being addressed. We again encourage our patients to participate in this year’s survey — their feedback is very important to us and provides us with valuable information on how we can continue to improve patient care and build on positive patient experience.”
Miriam McCarthy, Patient Advocacy and Liaison Services Manager at University Hospital Limerick and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital, commented:
“The National Patient Experience Survey results have given us a clear insight into patients’ experiences in our hospitals and have assisted us in understanding what really matters to patients. It confirms for us the importance of working in partnership with our patients, their carers, our staff and communities.”
The National Patient Experience Survey is a joint collaboration between the independent health regulator HIQA, the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health. To find out more about the survey, visit our website www.patientexperience. ie and follow us on Twitter @NPESurvey and on Facebook/NPESurvey.
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