Inpatient and day case waiting lists fall to lowest level in almost three years at Tallaght University Hospital
There were over 420,000 patient episodes of care delivered at Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) last year, according to the Hospital annual report for 2018.
The number of Adult Emergency Department attendances increased by 2% over the previously year bringing the total to over 51,000. Admissions of adult patients totalled 18,694 with an increase in acuity, age and complexity of patients. There were over 32,400 attendances at the Children’s Emergency Department and over 5,574 child admissions.
Tallaght University Hospital, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018, is one of the country’s largest acute teaching hospitals and a centre of excellence for a large number of specialties.
Speaking on the publication of her first report as TUH Chief Executive, Ms Lucy Nugent said “The publication of our annual report provides us with a very important opportunity to showcase the work that goes on in the Hospital. Staff are constantly innovating to improve patient care, quality and safety, introducing efficiencies to tackle waiting lists while working with limited resources. The 2018 Report highlights many positive outcomes for our patients, one such example is the welcome reduction in inpatient waiting lists to their lowest level in almost three years.
“The ethos of the Hospital is grounded in working with and for the community through prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation and I want to pay tribute to our world class dedicated and committed staff for their work in 2018 in the Hospital and the community and look forward to what we can achieve in 2019.”
Commenting on the 2018 report, TUH, Chair of the Board Liam Dowdall said “TUH is not just an acute Hospital, it always aims to reach out to the community in which it has been an integral part over the past two decades. Community engagement is vital to the Hospital’s work and I am very proud of the expansion and development of that engagement as outlined in our 2018 annual report. Moving the Hospital’s Endocrinology, Diabetes and Podiatry clinics into the SIMMS building last autumn was an important milestone for the Hospital. The transfer of these facilities, which cater for over 12,000 patients, is the first in a series of developments which will bring specialty clinical services closer to the community. It is just one of the many steps that the Hospital will be undertaking as we work towards developing a sustainable modern, healing healthcare environment.”
Mr Dowdall also thanked hospital staff for the enthusiasm and dedication which they brought to their work each day, often in challenging circumstances. He said he was delighted to see this recognised in awards and honours which staff had won nationally and internationally in 2018.
The Hospital works closely with the local community and a research paper supported by the Meath Foundation carried out among residents of the Tallaght area and released in late 2018, revealed high satisfaction levels with the Hospital at an unprecedented 86%.
The study by Professor Brendan Kelly, Professor of Psychiatry at TCD and Consultant Psychiatrist at TUH, showed that this 86% satisfaction rate with the Hospital had increased from 74% in 2014. Satisfaction rates with the Hospital’s Emergency Department came in at over 80%.