Monthly Archives: July, 2016

A strong and clear voice for the HMI

Lucy Nugent has been elected President of the Health Management Institute for the next three years. She is the 19th President of the Institute.

The winner of the HMI Leaders Award 2016 was Dr. Des Crowley, an addiction GP specialist working with the HSE Addiction Services and Irish Prison Service, Thompson Centre, CHO 9, Dublin 7. His winning project was titled “To evaluate the effectiveness of an opportunistic outreach fibro-scanning service for Hepatitis C infection management in a community based drug treatment clinic and general practice in Dublin.”

A new programme which used a novel opportunistic outreach fibro-scanning service for Hepatitis C management, resulting in patients receiving faster and more effective treatment, won the HMI Leaders Award 2016. Maureen Browne reports.

The National Integrated Medical Imaging System, (NIMIS) which has connected all public hospitals in Ireland on a single imaging platform, enabling clinicians around the country to share electronic images, resulting in faster and improved diagnosis for patients, won the HMI Major Projects Award. Maureen Browne reports.

HMI Annual Conference 2016 Chief Director of Nursing Children’s Hospital Group UCC Nursing School Celebrates World Ranking CAWT delivers on €30 million project HSE Staff Engagement Forum New Hybrid Cardiac Catheterisation Ambulance Service Accreditation Public hospitals receive electronic referrals Review Vision for Change Data Management Standards Public want health investment Clinical Academic Directorate for Cancer Care Ban Lifted on blood donation by MSM National Cancer Registry Director Family-friendly accreditation for Tallaght WiFi HSE Budget Increased to €13.695 billion Increase in patients treated in 2015 Double Gold Cap Awards Inconsistency in quality of services Partnership for Change Need to address increasing rates of HIV and STI transmission New RCSI President Growing superbug threat

From the beginning of this month, the HSE is “fining” all hospitals which fail to carry out urgent adult colonoscopies within 28 days. Maureen Browne reports.

It is reported that nine hospitals across the country may have their emergency trauma services closed down on foot of a report from the Trauma Steering Group, which is charged with developing a policy for a national trauma network, writes Maureen Browne.

A number of issues, including hospital boards, strategy and budgetary issues were understood to have been discussed when the Chairs of the Hospital Groups, with their CEOs, met with Health Minister, Simon Harris, the Department of Health Secretary General, Jim Breslin and the HSE Director General Tony O’Brien earlier this month, writes Maureen Browne.

Policies, programmes and strategies needed to tackle the increasing demands on the Irish health services posed by the enormous increase in the number of our older people and those with chronic disease have been spelled out by Mr. Jim Breslin, Secretary General of the Department of Health. Maureen Browne reports.

The Department of Health has 14 key action areas which it plans to implement in 2016 and 2017, Secretary General, Mr. Jim Breslin told the HMI West Forum in Ballyshannon Health Campus.

Our relatively new model of directorates is now old and we need to replace it with an integrated care model. The question is how we do that, given that different directorates have different areas of responsibility, funding, resources and control, writes Derek Greene.

LauraLynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice is the realisation of the shared vision of The Children’s Sunshine Home Hospice Project, launched in 2005, and The LauraLynn Foundation, established in 2001 by Jane and Brendan McKenna after their daughters, four year-old Laura and 13 year-old Lynn, died within two years of each other, writes Sharon Morrow, Chief Executive Officer, LauraLynn Ireland’s Children’s Hospice.

One of the country’s most experienced health managers has called for a re-configuration of health services based on patient needs and the introduction of a standardised activity based reimbursement system linked to the location where services are delivered. Maureen Browne reports.

The lessons I have learned are very apt for managing services and it seems we are doomed to fail unless good people in the frontline are able to escape from the never ending treadmill, writes Dr. Peter Lachman.

HOPE, the European Hospital and Healthcare Federation, was founded in 1966. I was actively involved in HOPE, as head of the Irish delegation, for over 20 years up until 2004, writes Denis Doherty.

In the Netherlands patients are not allowed to leave hospital without health insurance, in Denmark, you can only attend hospital by referral from a GP or the out-of-hours service, while in Finland an average of 88% of people claim to be satisfied with their health service, compared with the EU average of 41.3%. Maureen Browne reports.

Mediation is an effective way of resolving conflicts at work, Maura Keaveney Costello, Director Conflict Management Services, told the HMI West Forum. Maureen Browne reports.

Staff Surveys are very powerful tools when used effectively. They help to understand the opinions of staff. However, they are blunt instruments when used in organisations without the expertise to use them to the full potential, writes Conor Hannaway.

Health managers may be interested in these events.