RUH receives glowing patient satisfaction report

Roscommon University Hospital received a glowing report in today’s National Inpatient Experience Survey 2024. Out of the Saolta Group’s six hospitals, RUH scored the highest. The overall rating of experience at the hospital was significantly higher than the national average.

According to the annual survey, all of the survey participants admitted to RUH said they had a good to very good overall experience, compared to 85% nationally.

The survey invited 86 people who were admitted to Roscommon University Hospital to participate, 29 of which took part (34%). This is compared to a response rate of 41% nationally. In the RUH survey, 34% (10) completed the survey online, while 66% (19) completed the paper survey.

Most of the people surveyed were aged 81 or older and the majority of the respondents (16) were male. They were admitted to the hospital for a range of conditions including for non-Covid infections, heart and lung conditions, orthopaedic conditions, and neurological conditions. People were also admitted for tests and investigations.

Among the positives highlighted for patients, 93% of survey participants (27 of 29) said that the hospital room or ward they were in was ‘very clean’. Furthermore, 93% of those surveyed (27 of 29) said that they always got the opportunity to talk to a nurse if they needed to do so. Of the 26 people who experienced pain in hospital, 92% (24) said that the hospital staff definitely did everything they could to help control their pain. These questions, which have a stronger relationship with overall experience, scored significantly above the national average.

Patients described the care they received as “exceptional”.

“Nurses’ knowledge and experience was professional and in-depth. Medical staff were approachable and sensitive,” one told the survey. Another noted that the hospital was “spotlessly clean”.

One person suggested that if a patient had no-one to collect them and stay with them after a general anaesthetic, then a ward bed could be organised for them.

In terms of examinations, diagnosis and treatment, 93% of people (26 of 28) said that they were always given enough privacy when being examined or treated. However, 11% of people (3 of 28) said that they did not have enough time to discuss their care and treatment with a doctor.

The hospital’s lowest-scoring questions related to the food rating, clear explanations about the purpose and side-effects of medicines and being told about danger signals to watch out for after leaving hospital.

‘Care on the ward’ was the stage of care with the highest score, while ‘Discharge or transfer’ was the stage of care with the lowest score.

In terms of improvements, Saolta said it was working to improve choice and access to food for patients after dinner time. It was also going to provide additional information about discharge and medication checklists. It will work to empower patients and their families or carers to complete the checklist and prompt questions. It will also promote a bed utilisation project and new patient flow pathways. The timeline to complete these improvements is within the first three months of 2025.