St. Vincent’s University Hospital welcomes publication of first National Patient Experience survey results by HIQA in partnership with HSE and Department of Health.

11th December 2017

St. Vincent’s University Hospital Welcomes Publication of National Patient Experience Survey Results

On Monday, 11th December, St. Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH) welcomed the publication of the first National Patient Experience (NPE) Survey results by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) in partnership with the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health.

The NPE Survey was distributed by post to all patients who had a minimum of a 24-hour stay in a public acute hospital in Ireland during the month of May this year, provided they were over 18 and have a postal address in Ireland. The question bank for the NPE Survey was taken from the Library of the Picker Institute Europe, which allowed St. Vincent’s University Hospital the opportunity to benchmark our patients’ experience internationally as well as with other Irish acute hospitals of a similar size.

St. Vincent’s University Hospital performed very well nationally, receiving a 51% response rate (40% was the national target). 746 patients in total responded. Survey feedback indicated that we scored very highly in our overall treatment of patients with regards to; privacy (92%) and respect and dignity (90%). Some areas were highlighted as areas for improvement and these included; communication on medication management (46%) and information at point of discharge (48%).

The Quality and Patient Safety Department at St. Vincent’s University Hospital has analysed the NPE data and has initiated a number of quality improvement projects as a direct response to the survey findings. Some of these initiatives include:

• Project to improve discharge planning coordination with patients and their families
• To generate and provide additional after care management information for patients and/or their families (including advice on medication management, warning signs to be aware of and advice about how to respond to any deterioration in the individual’s condition)
• Review of opportunities to increase catering options for patients
• Project to identify and support the emotional needs of patients during their stay in St. Vincent’s University Hospital.

Speaking after the launch of the results, St. Vincent’s University Hospital said:

“The findings from the NPE Survey have provided our hospital with rich data to help us to further enhance and improve our patients’ overall experience within SVUH from the point of admission right through to the point of discharge. Our main focus is patient care and these results provide us with a platform to respond to our patients’ feedback”.

HIQA visited SVUH during the promotion of the campaign in May this year. The NPE project team were highly complementary of the hospital’s dedicated steering committee which was formed to drive the successful promotion of the survey amongst all patients and staff. Representatives from; Quality and Patient Safety, Communications, ICT and Data Management, Clinical Administration, Nursing, Human Resources and Facilities Departments and from the Patient Advice and Support team formed the steering group which oversaw the successful promotion of the survey and extraction of patient information for the survey.

A formal Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) for SVUH will be finalised and published in early 2018. Key performance indicators (KPIs) will be applied and monitored by the hospital’s Quality and Patient Safety Executive Committee to ensure that these quality improvement plans enhance patients’ experience in St. Vincent’s University Hospital.

An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD and Minister for Health Simon Harris TD in Dublin launched the NPE results at an event at the Royal Irish Academy on Dawson Street.

https://www.patientexperience.ie/survey-results/