EIGHT in 10 patients in the Mid West were satisfied with their acute hospital experience this year, according to the results of a recent national survey.
More than 1,150 patients across Limerick and the rest of the Mid West region provided feedback in a survey on their hospital experiences in the last year, which the HSE will use to drive improvements in hospital quality.
However, University Hospital Limerick (UHL) fell down when patients answered questions on their admissions, with the hospital getting a score of just 6.6 out of 10 – the lowest in the country – while almost one in three (28.5 per cent) reported aiting longer than 24 hours in the emergency department (ED).
Nationally, 13.4 per cent of patients who responded to the survey said they waited more than 24 hours for admission through an ED.
From a national overall satisfaction average of 8.3 out of 10 in 2024, University Hospital Limerick achieved 7.7, St John’s Hospital 8.3, and Croom Orthopaedic 8.9. Other hospitals in the UL Hospitals Group scored highly, with Nenagh Hospital receiving 9.1 and Ennis Hospital on 9 out of 10.
Across all six acute sites in the Mid West, there were high levels of patient satisfaction relating to patients feeling they were treated with dignity and respect (8.8/10), cleanliness of the environment and wards (8.8), and pain management (8.5).
Areas of complaint focused around communication on patient discharge (7/10), opportunities to talk to a doctor on the ward (6.8), and patients being able to find someone to talk to about their concerns or fears (6.1)
The group also scored well with patients asked about care on the ward, with UHL getting a rating of 7.8, St John’s Hospital 8, and Croom and Ennis hospitals scoring 8.5 and 8.7 respectively.
The results of the sixth National Inpatient Experience Survey (NIES) found that the majority of respondents (80 per cent of patients) across the six acute hospitals in HSE Mid West described their overall experience as ‘good’ or ‘very good’.
Compared to the 2022 survey, 2024 results show an improvement in patient satisfaction, particularly regarding areas such as pain management – which scored lower in previous surveys.
The survey saw patients asked 52 detailed questions about their hospital experiences from admission through to care on the ward, care during examinations, diagnosis and treatment, discharge and transfer, and perceived patient safety.
This year was the first time patients were asked about patient safety, and the responses to were amongst the highest scoring with most participants feeling confident in the safety and treatment of their care.
There was no breakdown by hospital or hospital group in the report on this area, but the findings showed the highest number of complaints about safety in all hospitals related to concerns around the behaviour of other patients or being in a mixed gender ward.
Ber Murphy, chief director of nursing and midwifery at the Mid West Acute and Older People Services, said that “in 2024, UHL had an overall experience rating of 7.7, up from 7.3 in 2022. We acknowledge that hospitals with a higher proportion of patients being admitted through the emergency department are more likely to have lower levels of patient satisfaction and we strive to improve on the patient experience year on year”.
“Staff in UHL are now focused on other areas for improvement identified by our patients, including discharge planning and also the introduction of an autism and intellectual disability pathway for patients due for launch in early 2025.”
A spokesperson for UL Hospitals Group added that “a number of initiatives are under way to address communications and discharge planning across our six sites, including updating our patient information booklets to incorporate patients’ medication plans, and reviewing current discharge documentation to ensure it takes account of the health literacy needs of our patients.”
The spokesperson added that “we are in the process of increasing the numbers and the visibility of feedback boxes and also ensuring that ‘Your Service Your Say’ feedback forms and information leaflets are readily available on all sites”.
“Initiatives to support patients with a disability or long-term condition include staff awareness days and communications training, personalised care plans and increased levels of accessibility on all sites including ensuring sufficient availability of parking spaces and appropriate wheelchair access”.
