National patient survey finds 70% have to wait six hours before admission

Almost 11,000 patients took part in the survey which looked at admissions, care on the ward, examinations, diagnosis and treatment, discharge or transfer and other aspects of care. File picture: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

A national survey of in-patients has found seven in 10 had to wait more than six hours before being admitted to a ward.

Less than a third (29%) said they were admitted to a ward within six hours, while 5% had to wait 48 hours or more, according to the survey carried out in 40 hospitals countrywide by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), HSE and Department of Health.

The Irish Patients Association, which has repeatedly called for hospital patients to be surveyed in real time, described the figures as “shocking".

“I’d be very concerned by that waiting figure. Five per cent might look like a small number but it can have serious effects on people’s health. We know that the longer you are left in the emergency department the more at risk you are of a preventable injury or death,” said its spokesperson Steve McMahon.

Almost 11,000 patients took part in the survey which looked at admissions, care on the ward, examinations, diagnosis and treatment, discharge or transfer and other aspects of care.

A lot of patients were unhappy with their discharge from hospital, with over a third claiming they were not told about medication side-effects to watch for when they went home. Another third said staff did not fully explain the purpose of medications they were to take at home. Discharge or transfer received the lowest rating of the survey, at 6.9 out of 10.

Emotional support

Patients also said they were not given enough emotional support while in hospital, with one in five saying that they could not find a member of staff to talk to about their worries and fears. One patient said they “often felt like doctors were not listening” to their concerns, and were “dismissive” of their questions. 

The average patient rating for care on the ward was 8.2 out of 10, the highest rating of the survey while 82% of participants rated their overall experience of hospital care as good or very good.

The survey also found 11% of people said they didn’t have enough time to discuss their care and treatment with a doctor. The average rating for examinations, diagnosis and treatment was 8 out of 10. 

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the survey was "an essential tool that gives patients a direct say in improving the quality and the safety of our health services". 

"By listening and learning from the experiences of patients we can continue to implement effective and sustainable patient-centred changes across the Irish healthcare system."

However, the IPA called for faster action on the findings: “Like all useful tools, if you don’t use it, it’s wasted,” said Mr McMahon.