Media Release
Irish Patients
Association
Re
HIQA Opinion Poll on Safety and Quality in
Healthcare
The Irish Patients’
Association today welcomes the publication by the Health Information and
Quality Authority (H.I.Q.A.) of their public opinion Poll on Safety and Quality
in Healthcare as an important input to their work on Draft National Standards for
Safer Better Healthcare
Stephen McMahon Chairman of
the Irish Patients Association said to-day that change and reform of our health
care system should not be preceded by funerals and injury to patients. Many of
these findings do not come as a surprise.
Based on our extensive experience of advocating
on behalf of patients and their family’s when things go wrong, we are not suprised to
have confirmation that 99% of people
said “that they wanted to be informed if something went wrong in treatment and
that providers should take steps to prevent mistakes and ensure learning takes
place across the system to improve healthcare quality.”
Of major concern is that 40%
of respondents felt that the healthcare they or their family received has been
in a standard below what you would expect.
In the IPA’s
experience the biggest challenge in learning from the patients experience is the need for a culture
of safety to permeate the entire health care system by everyone involved.
Again we highlight the area
of accountability, where Doctors Nurses, Pharmacists and other health care professionals
are more accountable due to recent legislation. However Managers are not similarly
accountable for decisions that may have an adverse impact on vulnerable
patients and communities. A big challenge for payers and policy makers is that
only 25% of respondents “agreed slightly” that money is wisely spent in healthcare
in
ENDS
Irish Patients’ Association
Unit 2
Ballybrack
Co
Contact Stephen McMahon
087-6594183
Alice Broderick 01-2722555