The Department of Health has published the first ever annual report on the quality and safety of healthcare here.
The report examines and compares death rates at hospitals between 2011-13. The hospitals found to have the highest rates of death within 30 days of admission were Midland Regional Tullamore, Cavan General and Connolly Hospital in Dublin. The lowest were found in Kerry General and the Mater, Dublin, and Midland Regional Portloaise.
The report has highlighted a number of areas for improvement, including a finding that survival rates for cervical cancer are not improving, that in-hospital mortality for heart attack or stroke patients varies between hospitals, as does the rate of c-sections.
However, it says survival rates for patients with breast and colorectal cancer have improved, as have the rate of MRSA and C-Diff infections.
“This annual report aims to provide information on the quality and safety of health care services that can be easily understood and used by patients, members of the public, policy makers, and service providers, to assist them in making informed decisions about their own health care and about health care services in Ireland” said Dr Holohan.
Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health said the information in the report “will help to improve services and patient outcomes” and he hopes “commence a public discussion on these important issues.”
He also warned that “there is no such thing as perfect data” and the figures contained within the report were in some ways imperfect with some services requiring “further analysis and examination in order to identify if a problem exists.”
Dr Holohan said “one can draw on the analogy of a smoke alarm going off. Further investigation may reveal a faulty smoke alarm or an actual fire.”
Minister for Health Leo Varadkar welcomed the report and said: "I am a strong believer in transparency and open data. As they say, if you don't measure it, you cannot improve it and without regular measurement and reporting you cannot know if your policies and reforms are actually making a positive difference."
This report previously stated, incorrectly, that the report mentioned was published by the HSE
