Positive patient experience at MUH
The Mayo University Hospital Volunteer Service celebrated both past and present volunteers for the first time since the service was heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The Meet and Greet team has had over 60 members of the community participating in the scheme since its inception in March 2012, with volunteers ensuring people have a warm, friendly welcome and are assisted with directions and any information needed. Some of the team have been volunteering since the beginning of the service and this was an opportunity to thank them for their service and the positive impact they have on the hospital. The staff who developed and supported the service were also acknowledged on the day for their contribution to the longevity and success of the Meet and Greet Volunteer Team.
Management at Mayo University Hospital (MUH) in Castlebar has welcomed the recent publication of the results of the National Inpatient Experience Survey, carried out in all public hospitals in Ireland last May. This is the sixth year that the survey has been carried out and was an opportunity for patients of MUH to describe their experiences in hospital.
Catherine Donohoe, Hospital Manager, said: “The findings of the survey provide us with important insights into patients’ perspectives of how they experienced treatment in our hospital and what improvements are needed to our services. It also helps us see how the patient voice has helped us change and improve hospital care since 2017 when the first survey was carried out.
“We are very pleased that the majority of participants from Mayo University Hospital reported positive experiences in hospital. Some 85% of participants said they had a ‘good’ to ‘very good’ overall experience."
Areas where patients identified good experiences included instances where they always felt treated with respect and dignity in hospital; offered food that met their dietary needs; always received help from staff, when needed, to get to the bathroom or toilet; and always given enough privacy when being examined or treated.
Some of the areas where patients identified as needing improvement included not receiving enough information from the hospital on how to manage their condition after discharge and some patients who wanted to give feedback or make a complaint did not know how or where to do so.
“We are using the results of this survey to help us prioritise quality improvements for the coming year," said Ms Donohoe. "As part of our improvement plan in the areas needing improvement outlined we will increase the use of patient information booklets at the point of admission which includes information on discharge planning, contact information, how to provide feedback through PALS, complaints; support information and what to do if they feel unwell at home.
“Ward-based volunteers will promote the patient information booklet whilst speaking with inpatients. We will also promote the ‘Guidelines for Communicating Clearly using Plain English’ via staff newsletter and with any staff who are developing or reviewing patient information publications; and communicate to all clinical staff via the ‘Length of Stay and Readmission QI Group’ regarding effective discharge planning including written information.
“I would like to thank all the patients who took part in the survey and the staff who encouraged and facilitated it.”
In the survey results for MUH, one patient commented: “The processing speed was very good. From entry at A&E to admission to a ward was approximately four hours. Care and attention of all staff was excellent throughout my admission and stay.”
Tony Canavan, Regional Executive Officer HSE West and North West, said: “Through this survey, our patients have provided us with really valuable feedback on their experience of care in our hospitals. I want to thank them for taking the time to do so. It is their engagement that allows us to further strengthen and improve our services. I would also like to thank our staff who support and encourage our patients to participate in this survey and for their commitment to providing good quality, patient-centered care. They are committed to making improvements for our patients.
“This survey allows us to engage with our patients and learn from and embed areas we are doing well in and also highlight areas we could do better in. The 2024 results showed that 84% of patients across our hospitals had a positive experience of care and this is something we are very proud of. We will continue to develop and introduce initiatives in response to areas where our patient’s feedback has not been satisfactory.”
