45% of survey respondents saw error in health service

As many as 45% of HSE staff who responded to an online survey conducted last September said they had witnessed an error, a near miss, or an incident that “could have hurt” patients in the previous month running up to the survey.

This figure rose to 53% within hospital services.

Yet when it came to reporting errors or near misses, while the bulk of staff agree they are encouraged to do so, fewer than two-in-five believe the HSE treats the staff involved fairly and only 30% agree they are given feedback.

The online survey, carried out by Ipsos/MRBI sought views of employees about what it’s like to work in the health service but unfortunately, very few appeared willing to respond, with concerns over confidentiality a key issue.

Just 7% of a workforce of more than 121,000 took part in the survey, which required employees to supply their personnel numbers. Ipsos/MRBI said despite “numerous reassurances, anecdotal and direct queries indicate this [fear of breach of confidentially] was a high concern for employees”.

One of the starkest findings from a patient’s perspective is that less than half of staff agree care of patients is the HSE’s top priority.

Even fewer (43%) say they would be happy with the standard of care if a friend or relative needed treatment.

Just a quarter of employees feel they have all of the equipment and resources they need to do their job properly.

Breaking it down into different staff categories, doctors feel most under-resourced, with just 12% agreeing they had adequate support and equipment, compared to 37% in management and administration.

While nine out of 10 employees feel their role makes a difference to patients, the majority are not optimistic about their future in the health service, with two in three believing that overall service levels are deteriorating.

Commenting on the survey, Ian Tegerdine, HSE national director of HR said the survey was “a first step in a process of listening to the views and opinions of our staff”.

He said the results, while “disappointing in some areas” were in some ways “not hugely surprising given that the health service has come through an incredibly challenging few years”.

The findings from the survey will inform the development of an action plan for employee engagement in the health services, starting with focus groups around the country.

The findings are available on www.hse.ie

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