The deadline is fast approaching for patients to document their hospital experience in a new Government national survey.

The closing date is the July 26 and the Health Minister Simon Harris is urging people to fill out the survey before the end of the month.

27,000 patients are eligible to take part and the minister says a “substantial” number of people have already done so.

In May all adult patients who were discharged from a public hospital during that month would have received the survey in the post.

For those who are eligible and may have misplaced the envelope, the Dept of Health say you can go online to patientexperience.ie and fill it out.

The National Experience survey is a chance for patients to share their own personal experience of their hospital care so that their voices can be heard and listened to.

Stressing the importance of this Survey for developing an understanding of the patient journey in Irish hospitals, Minister Harris said that he “would like to thank all of those patients who have already returned their completed survey. I understand that a substantial number of people have now done so, which I think is a heartening sign of the level of engagement which Irish people have with their health service. For those who have yet to return their forms, I would encourage them to do so by 26 July next.”

He went on to note that the Survey would “raise awareness of any issues that may need to be addressed and ensure that they can quickly be identified. At the same time, it will allow examples of good practice to be communicated to a wider audience. It will be a vital tool for policy makers, regulators and the health service itself, in ensuring that we continue to improve the quality and safety of our hospitals”.

The National Patient Experience Survey is being undertaken in partnership by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Department of Health.

Participants can return their completed surveys by post using the Freepost envelope, or fill out the survey online at www.patientexperience.ie.