Positive experiences reported at LUH, but still room for improvement

The results of the 2018 National Patient Experience Survey for Letterkenny University Hospital have been published this morning.
Almost 400 patients from Letterkenny University Hospital participated in the 2018 survey, resulting in a strong response rate of 52%.
Director of the survey, Rachel Flynn, commented:
“The majority of participants from Letterkenny University Hospital reported positive experiences in hospital. 86% of participants said they had ‘good’ or ‘very good’ overall experiences, compared with 84% nationally.
The hospital achieved similar scores to the national average across every stage of care, but scored better in the area of admissions.”
The survey identified several areas of good experience in Letterkenny University Hospital. For example, most patients said they could find someone to talk to about their worries and fears.
Patients also said that they were generally given enough privacy when discussing their care and treatment. In addition, most patients said they were treated with respect and dignity.
There were also several areas needing improvement. For example, some patients said that they were not always able to understand answers from doctors and that they did not have sufficient time to discuss their care and treatment with clinicians.
In addition, some patients said that they did not always have confidence and trust in the hospital staff that treated them.
Patient experience ratings were generally similar to those of the 2017 survey. The findings of the 2018 survey will help Letterkenny University Hospital to improve patients’ experiences of care in the hospital.