While Mayo General Hospital has once again performed badly in the HealthStat survey, the hospital’s rankings are improving, according to Alan Moran, hospital network manager for the HSE western hospital group.
Mr Moran was responding to a question by Councillor Seamus Weir at Tuesday’s HSE hospital committee meeting.
Cllr Weir asked why Mayo General was bottom of the list again. “This is very worrying and I’m concerned,” Cllr Weir told the meeting. Mayo General has been ranked as one of two worst performing hospitals in the country and this is the second time this year the hospital has ranked badly. The HSE league measures the performance of 29 hospitals nationally.
Mr Moran explained that the HealthStat survey was a measure of 20 to 25 measures of productivity including integration and resources. He said the survey is unfortunately perceived as a league table in which Mayo General Hospital is performing badly. But he added that the hospital’s poor results in terms of resources enables the hospital to provide better services. He explained that the two issues were not reconcilable.
Mr Moran said HealthStat was useful in drawing attention to certain areas and the results for Mayo General Hospital have improved since the first survey.
The report showed that Mayo General Hospital is experiencing long days for consultant-led clinics and falls short on the number of orthopaedic patients seen by doctors from public waiting lists.
The hospital manager, Tony Canavan, has accepted that further improvements are needed and he has also pointed out that the hospital has improved across many areas of performance this year, while admitting there is more to do.
