Good communication is at the heart of all good services and one of the key priorities of the HSE is to involve patients in the evaluation of our health services. International research has found that the quality and safety of healthcare can be improved by working in partnership with patients and service users. This means listening to the patients’
perspectives on how our health services work or don’t work for them.
In 2014, the HSE teamed up with Age Friendly Ireland to get feedback from older people on our health services. Through its Age Friendly Cities and Counties Programme,
Age Friendly Ireland works with state agencies and local authorities across Ireland to improve public services for older people. The Age Friendly Cities and Counties Programme brings groups of older people together in Older People’s Councils who then partake in Age Friendly Alliances to develop initiatives that improve the lives of older people living in communities across Ireland. From this collaboration with Age Friendly Ireland, we published the report, ‘Listening to Older People: Experiences with Health Services’ (2015). Essentially, this report presents the feedback we received from older people across Ireland. More specifically, it is the result of “listening meetings” with groups of older people in Galway, Kilkenny, Meath, Kildare and Dublin. Members of the Advocacy Unit of the HSE participated in these meetings and took notes on the feedback from the older people. Age Friendly Ireland staff also took notes and the combined notes formed the basis of the report.
Please click the link below to Listening to Older People:Experiences with Health Services
Listening Report 2015
Listening Report 2016
