Galway Bay FM Newsroom – The Saolta Hospital Group - which includes UHG, Merlin Park and Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe - has published a new Patient and Public Engagement Strategy.
It aims to engage patients in discussion about their own care and ultimately lead to improved health outcomes.
The new strategy will be implemented at all 7 hospitals in the Saolta Hospital Group across the West and North-West.
It's based around three key themes - communications, working with others and working in partnership with patients, families and carers.
Its aim is to improve and drive positive engagement with both patients and the public over the next three years through a series of targeted initiatives.
Some of these are already being rolled out, including a communications programme for clinical teams.
Saolta acknowledges that patients and their carers want to be engaged in decisions about their health.
It adds that listening to, and learning from, patient experiences enables the delivery of better care and improved health outcomes.
