Hospitals want to hear from patients about their care

People in Westmeath are being encouraged to take part in the National Inpatient Experience Survey before the December deadline.

This is the last chance for people in Westmeath to share their experience of hospital care and take part in the National Inpatient Experience Survey.

This annual survey, the largest of its kind in Ireland, closes for response on the 17 December.

The survey asks patients who were admitted to hospital in September 2021 to share their experiences, and suggest improvements they believe are necessary in the hospital service, as well as what areas they believe are working well.

The survey provides a picture of the safety and quality of care in Irish hospitals through the eyes of patients.

The National Inpatient Experience Survey contains questions on topics such as admission to hospital, care and treatment on the ward, trust in hospital staff, respect and dignity, and discharge from hospital.

The survey also asks about patients’ experiences of care during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as staff communication while wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as contact with family and friends, given visitor restrictions.

An estimated 26,093 patients will be eligible to participate in this year’s survey — including 563 people in Westmeath – however, to date, only 25pc of those eligible across the county have taken part.

The HIQA director of the National Care Experience Programme, Rachel Flynn, said: “There is still time for patients to give us their feedback ahead of the December deadline. This year, it is particularly important that we get as many responses as possible, as it is patients’ first opportunity to tell us about their experiences in hospital since the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“While a number of positive changes were identified and acted on in the previous National Inpatient Experience Survey, a lot more needs to be done.

"It is by listening and learning from the experiences of patients that we can bring about effective and sustainable changes across the healthcare sector. I would once again encourage as many people as possible to take part.”

To find out more about the survey, watch a short animation here. You can also visit our website yourexperience.ie and follow us on Twitter, on Facebook and Instagram.