Variations in patient experiences reported regionally

While at least half of patients reported a positive overall experience in the health system, individual hospitals and hospital groups scored differently in various areas.

Overall, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Group fared the worst, with 50 per cent of patients reporting a "very good" experience.

It operates Beaumont, Cavan and Monaghan, Connolly, Louth county and Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda hospitals.

Patients of the Ireland East and Saolta groups, which number 16 hospitals between them, gave the highest scores across the various categories, with 56 per cent of respondents giving a "very good" rating.

Patient input key to health service provision, says Hiqa

---

One Planet climate summit: France to push for financial transactions tax

---

Half of Irish patients dissatisfied with hospital experience

---

Earlier gridlock with Luas Cross City eases for evening rush-hour traffic

---

The highest-scoring individual hospitals were, in order: Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital; Kilcreene Othopaedic Hospital; Mallow General and UL Hospitals, Nenagh.

Lowest scores

The lowest overall scores were attributed to University Hospital Waterford, followed by St Luke's General Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, South Tipperary General Hospital and University Hospital Limerick. However, even the lowest score was almost eight out of 10.

The report found 36 per cent of people who attended an emergency department in the Ireland East Hospital Group said they were admitted to a ward within six hours of arriving at a hospital, compared with only 23 per cent of patients in the University of Limerick Hospital Group.

In the University of Limerick Hospital Group, 27 per cent of people said they waited for at least 24 hours in the emergency department, compared with 8 per cent in the Saolta Hospital Group.