Portiuncula Hospital gathers patient experiences to improve maternity service

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Galway Daily news Portiuncula hospital maternity workshop

The maternity unit at Portiuncula Hospital recently held an information sharing day with current and past patients to discuss ways to continue improving the service.

‘Whose Shoes’ was attended by 24 women and 25 members of staff from the maternity unit, following a workshop format that’s been successful at other Irish hospitals.

The day consisted of an informal and relaxed space where women could talk about their experiences in the unit to help service providers better understand what patients need.

Deirdre Naughton, Midwifery Practice Development Coordinator at Portiuncula Hospital and the event organiser, said they got incredible feedback from patients.

“The women who had used our maternity services welcomed the collaborative approach and appreciated being able to interact and vocalise their feelings.”

The day involved discussions about true-life scenarios in the maternity unit to help identify areas where more could be done to meet the needs of women using the service.

“Having a mix of staff and mothers present allowed us to examine different perspectives and really made us think what it is like to walk in the other person’s shoes,” Deirdre Naughton said.