Working Life: Rachel Flynn - Director of health information and standards, HIQA

Rachel Flynn talks us through a day in her life...

Working Life: Rachel Flynn - Director of health information and standards, HIQA

Rachel Flynn talks us through a day in her life...

6.30am

Mornings are enjoyable, if hectic, with three kids to organise — Paddy (7), Conor (5) and Sarah (2).

My husband Brendan has a demanding job in finance but is always around to help. I feel like I’ve a day’s work done before the childminder arrives.

8am

I’m travelling to Galway today to meet with the Saolta hospital group to discuss the practical implications of our upcoming National Patient Experience survey. It’s a marathon project involving 40 acute hospitals. Patients discharged during the month of May are asked to complete a questionnaire detailing their hospital experience. Last year 27,000 patients were invited to participate. The learning from the survey is used to drive improvement in individual hospitals.

10.30am

I have a good discussion with the Saolta Group in relation to the results of last year’s survey. One of the projects they examined was how to improve the information given to patients before they are discharged. The Saolta Group is also working with a patient group in Galway to explore their views on how to improve the patient experience.

1pm

After lunch, I head over to NUI Galway. We’re planning to extend our patient survey to the maternity sector and we are working on a proposal with the university to see what questions may be included based on international best practice.

When I’m not on the road, I’m at HQ in Mahon, where part of my role involves developing standards for health and social care such as residential care standards for adults with disabilities. We look at what is taking place internationally and how this relates in an Irish context.

I also have a role around health information and I provide direction to policy makers. One of the areas we look at is national data collection. It’s essential to keep patient information confidential while at the same time working out ways of sharing information with the public. We recently reviewed BreastCheck’s data collection process.

5pm

I head home to the kids. I love hearing little stories of their day. I live in Ovens so we like to get out and about. Bouncing on the trampoline is the current favourite activity. Once the kids are in bed, I catch up with my husband and plan for the next day. As the weather improves I am looking forward to taming the garden.

Rachel Flynn is director of health information and standards, HIQA

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