‘Positive experiences’ for 81 per cent of patients

‘Positive experiences’ for 81 per cent of patients

By William O'Connor

THE second National Patient Experience survey results shows 81 per cent of patients say they had a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ experience at Tallaght University Hospital (TUH).

TUH welcomes the results from the survey, noting that the majority of patients at the hospital reported positive experiences.

Tallaght Hospital 02

Tallaght University Hospital

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 include patient discharge and medical management.

Key findings from the survey – areas of good experience: 82 per cent said that they always had trust and confidence in the staff treating them; 79 per cent said that they were always given privacy when being examined or treated in the Emergency Department; 76 per cent who needed to talk to a nurse said that they always got an opportunity to do so.

Areas needing improvement: 22 per cent said that staff did not, or only to some extent did everything they could to help control their pain; 33 per cent said that a member of staff did not tell them about medication side-effects to watch out for; 29 per cent 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 ongoing 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.”

She added: “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.”

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