A high level of public satisfaction exists concerning the quality of our acute hospital services, including the medical treatment being provided, according to a major survey of public and private patients conducted last year.
The findings will come as a welcome relief to embattled Minister for Health Mary Harney and to those hospital authorities that have been subjected to a considerable amount of negative publicity in recent months.
Almost 5,000 patients were questioned about their hospital experiences and the perceptions they formed concerning their treatment. And more than 90 per cent were satisfied with the outcome. A similar percentage said they would be happy to return to the same hospital or to recommend it to a family member if they needed attention. The survey was conducted by a charitable organisation, the Irish Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare, whose members are drawn from the health services.
Such a positive reaction to the quality of care being provided in our hospitals should not, however, distract attention from an urgent necessity to address the specific complaints voiced by a minority of patients. Putting patients first is the benchmark of good medical practice. And in spite of official acknowledgment of the need for health care staff to respond to the concerns of patients, to consult with them concerning treatment and to provide them with adequate information, there are still major shortcomings in this area. One in four patients had unanswered questions concerning their treatment. Almost half had not been advised about possible side-effects from their medication. And nearly one-quarter had not been asked permission before being visited by medical students.
Basic cleanliness in hospitals and staff hygiene standards were of concern to these patients even before the recent publication of a hygiene audit. One-quarter complained about the dirt of toilets; one in seven about the condition of wards and the failure of healthcare staff to wash their hands before conducting personal examinations was a matter of great concern to some patients. To Ms Harney's credit, these matters are already receiving attention at official level. But other issues, such as the quality of hospital food, the adequacy of car parking and a complaints system that left 75 per cent of respondents dissatisfied all need to be addressed.
Guidelines on the admission, treatment and discharge of patients, issued to all hospitals last week by the Health Service Executive (HSE), in an effort to make the system more responsive and efficient, will address some of the other complaints made. Almost half of the patients were admitted to hospital within three months. But one-in-eight had to wait for a year or more. And one in five had appointments for elective surgery cancelled and rescheduled. All these matters are capable of resolution through staff co-operation and the introduction of more efficient work practices. It is up to the hospital authorities, along with the HSE and the Department of Health, to ensure that this happens.