Hospital survey finds issues in key areas of service

The head of the HSE says he "acknowledges" it isn't meeting the expectations of patients in key areas of the health service.

A new Inpatient Experience Survey finds 70 per cent of people in Emergency Departments aren't admitted to a ward within the HSE's own six hour target. This year's  survey involved over 12,000 participants and 40 acute hospitals. While Overall the findings show some improvements on last year, with patients having more positive experiences generally in Irish hospitals, long waiting times in emergency departments are a major problem. 70% of patients were not admitted to a ward from emergency departments within the HSE's own six hour target, and 4 per cent waiting 2 days or more.