National Inpatient Experience Survey underway at local hospitals

The sixth National Inpatient Experience Survey is now underway in a series of hospitals across the country, including Portiuncula in Ballinasloe, the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar and Roscommon University Hospital.

This annual survey — the largest of its kind in Ireland — offers patients the opportunity to share their experiences of healthcare and tell us what is working well and what improvements they believe are necessary. This provides a clear picture of the safety and quality of care in Irish hospitals, as seen through the eyes of patients.

Almost 32,000 patients are eligible to participate in this year’s survey. The first National Inpatient Experience Survey took place in Ireland in 2017. Since then, over 61,000 patients have taken part and shared their experiences of hospital care. In 2022, 44% of invited patients responded to the survey, highlighting the strong desire of patients to talk about their experiences in hospital in order to bring about meaningful change.

The National Inpatient Experience Survey asks a total of 52 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. All patients aged over 16 years-of-age who spent 24 hours or more in the individual hospital and were discharged during the month of May are eligible to participate in the survey.

HIQA’s Director of National Care Experience Programme, Rachel Flynn said: “I would like to encourage all eligible patients to tell us about their recent experiences of care. By sharing your views, you will provide us with invaluable information on the improvements that are necessary to deliver a more person-centred health service in your area. It is by listening and learning from your experiences that we can bring about effective and sustainable changes across the healthcare services.”

To find out more about the survey, watch the animation here or visit the website