Issues around admission to, and discharge from hospital, were the main concerns for patients at University Hospital Waterford in 2018, according to the HIQA National Patient Experience Survey.
Those who responded to the survey found that staff at UHW were clear in their communication around treatment and care, but the hospital scored below the national average on several other stages of care.
Director of the survey, Rachel Flynn, commented: “The majority of participants from University Hospital Waterford reported positive experiences in hospital. 79% of participants said they had ‘good’ or ‘very good’ overall experiences, compared with 84% nationally.
"However, the hospital scored below the national average on several stages of care, namely admissions, care on the ward, and discharge or transfer.”
The survey results showed up several areas of good experience.
For example, patients said that staff explained the purpose of treatments, as well as their risks and benefits. Most patients also said that staff gave complete answers to their questions about operations and procedures.
Senior Programme Manager for the National Patient Survey, Tracy O'Carroll, says told WLR News that staff at the hospital got a lot of positive commentary, but people recognised they were "extremely busy."
"They need protected time to talk to patients about their care and that was highlighted," she said. "Other areas that need improvement are confidence and trust in the hospital staff and that they would like more respect and dignity from staff towards patients."
Ms. O'Carroll said there were a lot of positives in the report, mainly centred on communication.
"In Waterford they (patients) get good explanations about their treatments and clear answers to questions about operations and procedures."
She said capacity in Irish Hospitals is have a bearing on patient satisfaction.
"In hospital the care is good - but the greatest improvements need to be made in the area of admissions."
The full report is available at https://www.patientexperience.ie/
