UHK’s ranking among the seven acute hospitals in Kerry and Cork has improved in terms of the number of official complaints closed annually.
That is according to data released to Tralee MD councillor Deirdre Ferris at the HSE South West Regional Health Forum (RHF).
Two-in-every-five (42.8%) complaints at University Hospital Kerry concerned safe and effective care.
A further one-in-five (22.9%) referred to communication and information.
In 2022, University Hospital Kerry (UHK) had the highest number of complaints (181)across acute hospitals in the HSE South West region, more than Cork University Hospital (CUH) and Mercy University Hospital (MUH).
UHK also had the highest number of complaints in 2023 (207), ahead of both South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital (SIVUH) and Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH).
This improved in 2024 (255), when UHK dropped to second place behind CUH.
However, in 2025, UHK improved significantly, dropping to fourth place, with only CUMH, Bantry General Hospital and Mallow General Hospital recording fewer complaints.
The regional clinical director at HSE South West, Dr Peter Kearney, told Cllr Ferris that the main aims of the complaints process are organisational learning, service improvement, and accountability.
He said the HSE’s national complaints framework, Your Service Your Say (YSYS), enables patients, their families and members of the public to raise concerns, provide feedback and seek reviews.
Under the framework, a formal complaints process is only initiated when concerns cannot be managed locally.
Complaints relating to patient care may involve issues such as communication, access to services, clinical care, staff interactions, discharge planning, waiting times and service co-ordination.
Some issues cannot be dealt with through the Your Service Your Say process and are handled separately, so are not included in these figures.
These include matters relating solely to clinical judgement, legal proceedings, employment or HR grievances, Freedom of Information requests, appeals processes, serious incidents, serious safeguarding concerns, and regulatory procedures.
