August 11th 2017 Tallaght Hospital has published its Annual Report for 2016, which shows that despite a significant increase in numbers attending the Emergency Department (ED), the Hospital successfully maintained its positive Patient Experience Times (PETs). While adult ED attendances rose by more than 9% (4,100+) to 49,663 in 2016 compared to 2015, half of patients were discharged within six hours and almost three quarters (72%) were discharged within nine hours. These rates were in line with 2015 figures, demonstrating that the Hospital is maintaining its high standards despite increased demand.
Tallaght Hospital continues to care for an ageing population, as the biggest increase in ED admissions occurring in the 65+ age group, with 5,727 people in this category attending ED in 2016. Overall in 2016, the Hospital had in excess of 420,000 patient attendances to the Hospital, representing a combination of over 270,000 Outpatient attendances, 83,000 ED attendances, 24,000 inpatient admissions and 46,000 day case admissions. The 55-74 age group accounted for the largest amount of activity in outpatients, inpatients and day cases.
At a time of growing demand, Tallaght Hospital has also been very successful at recruiting and retaining nursing staff, in contrast to many other hospitals in Ireland. Of the 62 new nursing graduates in 2016, 57 chose to take up permanent contracts in the Hospital. Following an extensive recruitment and retention campaign over the last two years, the Hospital is in the unique position of having nursing staffing numbers at 1,050 at the end of December, 2016.
Tallaght Hospital continues to have a diverse and experienced team of staff, employing 3,169 people from 42 different nationalities across the world, who provide patient care, both directly and indirectly. The report also highlights Tallaght Hospital’s many varied and successful interactions with the local Tallaght Community, through local fairs, public events and charitable initiatives.
Key finds from the report are:
- ED attendances rose by 9% (4,100+) in 2016, with numbers rising from 45,551 to 49,663, compared to 2015.
- Despite an increase in activity, the Hospital maintained both its <6 hour and <9 hour Patient Experience Times (PETS) at 50% and 72% respectively.
- The number of people over the age of 65 attending ED rose from 5,143 in 2015 to 5,727 in 2016. This matches the trend of recent years.
- Overall, the proportion of adults admitted from ED dropped slightly in 2016, from 26% to 25% compared to 2015.
- Tallaght Hospital has a total nursing staff of 1,050, with 57 of 62 new graduates in 2016 choosing to take up permanent contracts at the Hospital.
David Slevin, CEO, Tallaght Hospital said,“Our 2016 Annual Report shows once again that Tallaght Hospital is successfully committed to its role in looking after the healthcare needs of the local community. Despite an increase in demand in our Emergency Department, we have maintained our patient experience times at the same level as 2015. I want to pay tribute to all our staff that put our ethos of ‘People Caring for People’ into practice every day. We are also aware that the local population is ageing and we are prepared to provide the necessary care for this older demographic. The statistics in this year’s report bear that out. There have been many innovations and positive developments in Tallaght Hospital this year.”
Michael Scanlan, Chairman, Tallaght Hospital said, “I am delighted to see that Tallaght Hospital is going from strength to strength. One particularly positive feature of the Hospital’s work is our involvement in many varied community initiatives, some of which are detailed in the report. It is clear that Tallaght Hospital is committed to an active involvement with the local people of Tallaght and to being a community champion. The Hospital’s success in attracting and retaining nursing talent is also to be commended. This is an area in which many other hospitals are struggling so it is very positive to see that Tallaght is innovating and leading the way.”
The Tallaght Hospital Annual Report 2016 can be found here
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About Tallaght Hospital
Tallaght Hospital is one of Ireland’s largest acute teaching hospitals, providing child-health, adult, psychiatric and age-related healthcare on one site. The hospital has 495 adult beds and 67 paediatric bed with 2,600 people on staff. The Hospital is a provider of local, regional and national specialities. It is also a national urology centre, the second largest provider of dialysis services in the country and a regional orthopaedic trauma centre.
Tallaght Hospital is one of the two main teaching hospitals of Trinity College Dublin - specialising in the training and professional development of staff in areas such as nursing, health and social care professionals, emergency medicine and surgery, amongst many others. Tallaght Hospital is part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group which serves a population of over 1.2 million across seven counties.
A new satellite centre is to be built at Tallaght Hospital as part of the National Children’s Hospital project as a key element of an integrated clinical network for paediatric services nationally.
The Hospital’s Emergency Departments catered for 49,512 Adult Attendances and 33,717 Paediatric Attendances in 2016. A further 268,543 patients were treated through the Hospital’s adult and paediatric outpatient clinics in 2016. The Hospital’s operations are supported by 200 general practitioners in surrounding communities.
