Wexford General Hospital Highlighted in National Hospital Mortality Report

Wexford General Hospital has been identified as an outlier in a new national report for having high in-hospital mortality rates for ischaemic stroke.

The finding comes from the National Audit of Hospital Mortality Report for 2022 and 2023, published by the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA). The report examines deaths in Irish hospitals from serious conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, COPD, heart failure and pneumonia. Across the country, the chances of dying in hospital from these illnesses have improved since the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, but overall mortality rates still haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. Some of the key national trends include: A 42% drop in deaths from ischaemic stroke over the last decade — despite rising numbers of stroke admissions. Heart attack deaths have fallen by 19%, and heart failure deaths by 12% over the same 10-year period. Pneumonia mortality is down 40% from its pandemic peak. COPD mortality, which rose during the pandemic, is now back to pre-Covid levels. The report also flagged other hospitals: St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin showed high mortality from heart failure. Cork University Hospital was an outlier for high COPD and stroke deaths. NOCA’s Clinical Director, Dr Brian Creedon, said the data helps identify areas needing attention while also showing progress. “While it is encouraging to see progress for conditions like heart attack and stroke, there is still work to do,” he said. The full report is available on the NOCA website