26th November 2018: Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) welcomes the results of the 2nd National Patient Experience Survey, published today, noting that the majority of patients at the Hospital reported positive experiences in the Hospital, with 81% of patients said they had a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ experience.
The findings of the survey again highlight positive patient experiences across the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, showing above average positive findings for the Group as a whole in many areas.
Several areas of good experience were identified by patients of TUH, including privacy whilst being examined or treated and the many opportunities to talk to a nurse on the ward. The majority of patients also stated that they had confidence and trust in the staff treating them.
Some of the areas highlighted in the survey for improvement included: dignity and respect in both the emergency department and on the ward, along with pain management.
Key findings:
Areas of good experience:
√ 82% said that they always had trust and confidence in the staff treating them
√ 79% said that they were always given privacy when being examined or treated in the Emergency Department
√ 76% who needed to talk to a nurse said that they always got an opportunity to do so
Areas needing improvement:
- 22% said that staff did not, or only to some extent did everything they could to help control their pain
- 33% said that that a member of staff did not tell them about medication side effects to watch out for
- 29% said that staff did not tell them about danger signals to watch out for after they went home
Ms Lucy Nugent, Deputy CEO and Interim Director of Quality Risk & Safety Management Tallaght University Hospital commented: “The staff of Tallaght University Hospital today welcome the results of the National Patient Experience Survey and we are very happy with the overall result. The majority of patients expressed an overall positive experience and the Hospital showed the biggest improvement on last year’s figures in relation to care on the ward. Most patients had confidence and trust in the Hospital staff treating them and patients identified good experiences around privacy whilst being examined or treated and the many opportunities to talk to a nurse on the ward.
We know that there are a number of areas where we can improve. Efforts are on-going to improve patient experience of the Emergency Department, better communication skills and effective ward round communication from all health-care staff, increasing awareness for patients of the supports available to them and how to play their part in their patient journey and how we can support their safe discharge. The importance of privacy is integral to sustaining and improving patient experience and is being promoted amongst staff.
Many of the comments from patients in the report acknowledged the care and support provided to them by our staff and I am delighted to see the great care provided at TUH acknowledged. We would like to thank all the patients who took part in the survey and the staff who encouraged and facilitated it. The findings of the 2018 survey will be used to help TUH improve the experiences of patients in the Hospital, continuing the good work done in response to the 2017 survey.”
Commenting on the results, Trevor O’Callaghan, Chief Executive Officer of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group said, “On behalf of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group I welcome the results of the 2018 National Patient Experience Survey. This is the second national survey and the results are very encouraging. The overall response rate for the hospital group improved in 2018. The majority of patients who participated in the survey (97%) felt they were treated with dignity and respect and they (98%) had confidence and trust in our staff, this is very good news. I wish to sincerely thank the patients who willingly gave of their time to provide feedback in relation to the services we provide. This feedback is very valuable and helps us to learn what is important to patients and what changes are required to improve our patient’s experience of our services. Dublin Midlands Hospital Group is committed to providing high quality health care and will continue to work in partnership with patients and staff to improve services.”
Note to editors:
A total of 666 patients from Tallaght University Hospital took part in the survey, a response rate of 49%. The full reports can viewed here https://www.patientexperience.ie/
The National Patient Experience Survey is a nationwide survey that offers patients the opportunity to describe their experiences of public acute healthcare in Ireland. The survey is a partnership between the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health. The survey was conducted for the first time in 2017 and repeated in 2018.
Nationally, 26,752 people were invited to participate in the second National Patient Experience Survey. In total, 13,404 completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of over 50%.
The aim of the survey is to find out about patients’ experiences in public acute hospitals and to use their feedback to identify areas of good experience, and areas needing improvement. The HSE responded to the 2017 survey results by producing detailed quality improvement plans at national, hospital group and hospital levels. The implementation of these plans is coordinated by an oversight group, and a wide range of initiatives have already been introduced across Ireland’s public acute hospitals. Some examples of these initiatives can be seen at www.patientexperience.ie/improvements-in-care/
