The Rotunda Hospital, Ireland’s busiest and leading maternity hospital, has welcomed the results of the National Maternity Experience Survey (NMES), which were launched today. The survey is a joint initiative by HIQA, the HSE and Department of Health, offers women the opportunity to share their experiences of Ireland’s maternity services. The aim of the survey is to learn from the experiences of women to improve the safety and quality of the care that they and their baby receive.
708 women who gave birth in the Rotunda in October 2019 were invited to participate; and 355 women completed the survey (47% response rate). 36% were aged 30 – 34 years and 34% were aged 35 – 39 years, while 51% had no previous births.
There were 68 questions which captured the whole maternity pathway from antenatal care, through labour and birth, to postnatal care in the community. The report includes women’s experiences of the care provided both in the Rotunda Hospital, and by general practitioners and public health nurses in the community.
Overall, 86% of participants rated their overall experience in the Rotunda Hospital as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. The hospital scored higher than the national standard in the following areas:
- Skin-to-skin contact with their baby shortly after the birth – 9.6 out of 10
- ‘Care while pregnant (antenatal care)’ – 7.5 out of 10
- Care in hospital after the birth’ – 7.6 out of 10
The Master of the Rotunda Professor Fergal Malone welcomed the survey findings. He said:
“It is gratifying to note that the vast majority of patients who have utilised the Rotunda Hospital for care rate the hospital very highly, and that these ratings exceed the national averages. The Rotunda is the Maternity Hospital of Choice, and as such is committed to listening to our patients views and experiences, as well as being responsive to all positive and negative feedback received. We intend to further improve our services in light of the results of the National Maternity Experience Survey, in particular by focussing on better communication with patients, improving access to information, driving improvements in our physical infrastructure, and maximising our staffing with midwives, breastfeeding support and mental health support. We have outlined a range of specific interventions and new programme development to further improve the service experience at the Rotunda.”
The hospital has identified a number of quality improvement initiatives from the results, which are being progressed since the survey was undertaken.
Information on the Rotunda’s report and the quality initiatives to address the opportunities for improvement identified are available on yourexperience.ie
The Rotunda Hospital is delighted to support the National Maternity Experience Survey.
The Survey offers eligible new mothers the opportunity to share their experiences of Ireland’s maternity services — from antenatal to postnatal care — in order to improve the safety and quality of care provided to women and their babies.
All women aged 16 years or older who gave birth in the Rotunda in October 2019 will be asked to participate in the survey. You will receive the survey by post in early February 2020.
This Feb, women who gave birth last October will receive an invite to take part in Ireland’s first ever National Maternity Experience Survey, asking women about the maternity care they received. If you receive an invite, @careexperience want to hear from you! #maternityexperience pic.twitter.com/tXACvYesHI
— The Rotunda Hospital (@RotundaHospital) February 5, 2020
Timeline
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the National Maternity Experience Survey?
The National Maternity Experience Survey is a new nationwide survey asking women who have recently given birth about the maternity care they received. The purpose of the survey is to learn from the experiences of women to improve the safety and quality of Ireland’s maternity services.
Who will be invited to participate in the survey?
Women aged 16 or over who give birth in October 2019 and have a postal address in the Republic of Ireland will be invited to participate in the National Maternity Experience Survey.
How do I participate in the survey?
All eligible new mothers will be contacted by post in February or March 2020. They will receive information on the survey and a link to the online survey.
What does taking part involve?
Taking part in the National Patient Experience Survey is very easy. Eligible patients will receive the survey by post a few weeks after their discharge, and the completed survey can be returned in the included Freepost envelope. The survey can also be completed online using a unique code provided on the postal survey.
Why should I complete the survey?
Your responses will provide us with important information on the standard of maternity care in Ireland. This will help us to identify where our maternity services are performing well and what needs to change to improve the quality and safety of care provided to both women and babies
What will you do with my answers?
All survey responses will be combined to produce reports on patients’ experiences of hospital care in Ireland. National results and local results are made publicly available on this website. The results of previous surveys can also be found under Historic Results.
I had a good experience in hospital — do I still need to take part?
Yes, please do! We want to hear about all experiences of maternity care — good and bad — so that we can get an accurate picture of the standard of maternity services in Ireland.
What type of questions will I be asked?
The survey asks about your experience of care during your pregnancy, during labour and birth, and care after your baby has been born.
Will my answers be treated confidentially?
Yes. Your answers will be processed in strict confidence and held separately from your contact details. Your hospital or home birth service will see anonymous responses only. Your answers will be solely used for analysis; they will not be given to commercial entities or used for commercial purposes.
What happens if I do not want to participate?
Participation in the survey is voluntary. While we would love to hear about your experience, it is possible to opt-out of the survey on the website or by calling our Freephone number 1800 314093 or by emailing us at [email protected]
Where can I find out more?
More information can be found on Patient Experience Survey website
Freephone 1800 314093 (Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm)
Email [email protected]
Postal Address
The National Patient Experience Survey
c/o HIQA,
George’s Court, George’s Lane,
Dublin 7, D07 E98Y