Yearly Archives: 2015

Let’s be proud of what we do

On July 7 I was honoured to be a member of the judging panel for the HMI Leaders Award 2015. Honoured because it gave me an opportunity to see evidence of the outstanding and committed leaders we have right throughout the health service. Leaders make change happen, and despite the many criticisms that come the way of the health service, it is clear that we are extremely fortunate to have so many leaders improving the health service at every level.

Patricia O’Gorman discusses the success of an acupuncture service for Head and Neck cancer patients with Xerostomia (Dry Mouth) post-radiotherapy which she established in the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Cork and which was one of the finalists in the 2015 HMI Leaders Award.

In July 2014, after a comprehensive process of planning and consultation, we in St. Luke’s implemented a profound and comprehensive change programme in the operation of the Department of Surgery, writes Mr. Paul Balfe, Consultant Surgeon, St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny. This project was one of the finalists in the 2015 HMI Leaders Award.

New €21 million Kilkenny development Deputy CEO Leaves HSE New members of the MAC Mater Hospital CEO OLCHC CEO MAU at Bon Secours Cork HSE CFO Patients will benefit from research Guide for managers The state of the nation’s health High rate of satisfaction with Tallaght Hospital Life-saving medicine rules Sixty four new ambulances Fire guidance for nursing homes Helping the homeless People taking more prescribed medication Abortion services urged New diabetes cycle of care Over 2,000 babies screened Shedding light on medical imaging Tackling Cyberchondria Trafficking in human organs Have your say on HIQA plan National Sexual Health Strategy Code of practice for food marketing Injecting facilities

There are serious concerns that new reduced salaries which the Department of Health has introduced for voluntary hospital and social care organisation CEOs will make it extremely difficult to recruit and retain high calibre leaders in the health and social services, writes Maureen Browne.

Unrolling the intricacies of the health budget has never been an exercise for the faint hearted, but this year even the most senior Ministers involved could not agree if 2016 will be the best health budget ever or if it will still lag behind the pre-economic crash days, writes Maureen Browne.

A total of €3 billion is to be invested over six years in the health capital programme, which Health Minister, Dr. Leo Varadkar says will provide funding for a major programme of investment to support the transformation of health care facilities. Maureen Browne reports.

Thirty nine acute hospitals have been fined a total of well over £1 million by the HSE for failing to meet their 18 month waiting list targets for August and September of this year, writes Maureen Browne

In April 2015 the Subcommittee for Mental Health, one of the four subcommittees in European Association of Hospital Managers, was gathered in the lovely coastal town of Kinsale outside Cork, for a visit to Irish mental health services and to conduct our Spring meeting, writes Inger Kari Nerheim, President EAHM Subcommittee for Mental health (SCMH).

In an attempt to address this leadership deficit, health management institutions have come together to raise the recognition of professional management in healthcare by developing a core competencies directory for healthcare leaders with the input of a diverse group of multilateral healthcare organisations, writes Lucy Nugent.

The responsibility for Quality and Safety lies with the entire organisation, starting with the Board and executive team who need to provide the space for the clinical staff to deliver high quality care, writes Dr. Peter Lachman.

Large organisations have a lot to learn from small charities when it comes to making an impact, says Claire Taaffe, Communications Director of GSK Ireland.

The man whose signature has approved the payment of billions of euro in the Irish health services over the last 43 years has put away his pen, shut down his computer and, in his own words, changed gears and moved on to a new life, writes Maureen Browne.

Adrian Ahern looks at the different pricing rules which apply to HSE and private/voluntary nursing homes.

Brigadier General Paul Fry, General Officer Commanding the Irish Air Corps writes about the work of the IAC ambulance service in transporting critically-ill adults and children, neonatal transfers and victims of severe road traffic collisions, severe cardiac incidents and stroke victims.

The amazing work of Chip and Dan Heath in the book “Switch: How to change things when change is hard” describes a series of analogies that reference organisational change. One of these is the elephant at the beginning of the path into the jungle with the ‘driver’ and a selection of passengers. This is almost the perfect storyboard for the implementation of an eHealth fabric into the health system of Ireland, writes Richard Corbridge, Chief Information Officer, HSE.

Mary McCarthy explores the issue of Shared Services and how these services should function and be structured, resourced and governed.

Health managers would be prudent to examine their own contracts to ensure that their earnings are not hit by the latest FEMPI legislation, writes Alan Wallace.

Health Managers might be interested in these events.