More than 40 per cent of people in the State feel the healthcare they or their families have received has been below expected standards, according to a new opinion poll.
The poll, conducted by Red C for the independent health service watchdog, also found that despite this only a third of those who experienced healthcare provision below expectations made a complaint.
More than half, some 52 per cent, said they felt too intimidated to make a complaint. Over 80 per cent said it was difficult to know who to complain to.
A nationally representative sample of over 1,000 adults were surveyed for the poll for the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).
The poll also found just a quarter of people believe money is wisely spent on healthcare in Ireland. Healthcare was defined as all types of care, whether in the community or in hospitals.
Most rated funding and staffing as the most important issues which came to mind when it came to ensuring safe services are provided.
Meanwhile the vast majority or 86 per cent of those surveyed said they believed no one currently takes responsibility for service levels.
Almost all said healthcare should be provided at a time and in a place that is convenient to patients, but 72 per cent also said they accepted the need to travel to access high-quality specialist treatment, like that being provided at the eight designated cancer centres.
Some 99 per cent of people said they wanted to be informed if something went wrong in treatment and that providers should take steps to prevent mistakes and ensure learning takes place across the system to improve healthcare quality.
Hiqa had the poll carried out ahead of starting its consultation on draft national standards for safer better healthcare, which are due to be published in coming weeks.
Following the consultation process and when the standards are completed and approved by Government, they will apply across all health sectors and will be highly significant in driving quality and safety for people using our health services, Hiqa said.
Jon Billings, director of healthcare quality and safety with the authority, said the results of the poll are very clear. "People want information, clear accountability and quality in services and want to be supported in taking an active part in their own healthcare," he said.
"People clearly expressed the need for more openness in service provision. Some people reported experiencing challenges in making complaints and felt that further support and information in this area is needed," he added.
The HSE described the poll as a “valuable” piece of research. “Every person who uses HSE service has the right to give feedback about the service they received,” it said. “Any comment, compliment or complaint is an
opportunity to improve the quality of our services and to learn the lessons from any mistakes made.”
The HSE said it received 7,984 complaints from service users in 2009, an increase of 63 per cent on the previous year. “This substantial increase indicates that progress has been made in ensuring that the complaints process is easily accessed and that people feel able or empowered to make complaint,” it said.
Of the complaints received in 2009, nearly four in five were addressed within the HSE’s 30 day target, an increase of 7 per cent over 2008.