70% of hospital patients aren't admitted to a ward from emergency departments within the HSE's own six-hour target time.
The National Inpatient Experience Survey finds while most patients experience good care, waiting times are a major problem, with 4% waiting 48 hours or more to be admitted.
Many of the survey's 12,000 participants felt there wasn't enough time to discuss their treatment, and they weren't fully involved in decisions about their care.
Rachel Flynn, Director of the National Care Experience Programme, says waiting times in Irish hospitals are now a year-round problem.
She says waiting times impact on quality and safety and the HSE is well aware of the implications of the problem and its severity.
