Monthly Archives: March, 2019

The importance of our European links.

New digital strategies and the recent ‘go live’ of the Electronic Patient Record for inpatient care, was transforming the way patients were admitted, treated and discharged in St. James’s Hospital, Dublin, Mr. Lorcan Birthistle, HMI Vice President and Chief Executive of St. James’s said when he welcomed those attending a HMI Dublin Mid Leinster Regional Meeting in the hospital. Maureen Browne reports.

Project Oak, which had been introduced in St. James’s Hospital, had resulted in timely, safer administration of medications, given nurses increased time to care for patients and reduced medication errors due to illegibility and incorrect prescribing, Dr. Grainne Courtney Chief Clinical information Officer St James Hospital told the meeting.

Ms. Mary O’Brien, Assistant Director of Nursing at St. James’s, said that around 2015, she first heard of the concept of scan for surgery.

Mr. John Cotter, Director of Finance, St. James’s, said that before the introduction of Scan for Surgery, there were a lot of problems with products not being available mid case or before the case was started. This had now been taken out of the equation.

The National Decontamination Tracking System in use in St. James’s Hospital, has provided traceability for surgical procedures and meant that it was now possible to know which surgical instrument sets had been used in any operating theatre, Andrew Smith, HSSU Manager, St. James’s told the meeting.

A new national digital project introduced in St. James’s Hospital had revolutionised the safe treatment of patients with haemophilia, Mr. Feargal McGroarty, National Haemophilia System Project Manager, St. James’s told the meeting.

A project which has improved patient safety by automatic tracking of precious samples from theatre to laboratory, was described to the meeting by Dr Una Geary, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Director for Quality and Safety Improvement, St. James’s Hospital.

Workplace mediation was a process in which an impartial third party assisted those in conflict to reach their own resolution for solving their differences, Mr. Brendan Schutte, Workplace Mediator, told a meeting of HMI in Galway in February. Maureen Browne reports.

A large number of innovative projects which improved patient care and services were entered for the HSE Community Healthcare West Staff Recognition Awards in 2018, Mary Heaney, Project Manager for Staff Recognition Programme, Community Healthcare West, told a HMI Regional Meeting in Galway last Wednesday. Maureen Browne reports.

Managing complexity is, by definition, very difficult. Many individual cases are complex which is why specialisation and team working have developed to the extent they have. High performing teams, made up of high performing individuals are greatly valued. Healthcare systems have to cater for a level of complexity as pronounced as in any other service or industry but political debate and behavior often fails to appreciate that. In fact, politicians have a knack of making bad situations worse, writes Denis Doherty.

As I write this, the entire worldwide fleet of Boeing 737 Max 8 have been grounded because of two air crashes that were similar. Aviation authorities have taken action because of the possible unsafe aircraft and because the public demand safe air travel, writes Dr. Peter Lachman.

The HSE strives to build a better health service every day. One of the key building blocks is information. Yet today across the health service employees rely on paper and pen or excel spread sheets to record/collect information, writes Vincent Crossan.

Health Minister, Simon Harris has published the Sláintecare Action Plan 2019, outlining the project management structures and governance approach for the 10-year implementation of Sláintecare and the actions and milestones for 2019. Maureen Browne reports.

Ireland benefits from having a voluntary sector, which should continue to play an integral role in the delivery of health and social care services, according to the report of the Independent Review Group established to examine the role of voluntary organisations in publicly funded health and personal social services. Maureen Browne reports.

The Scheduled Care Access Plan 2019 aims that all clinically suitable patients waiting more than six months on ten high volume procedures, including cataracts, joint replacements, tonsils and angiograms would be offered treatment in 2019, writes Maureen Browne.

The prioritised implementation of a national co-ordinated trauma system for Ireland has been urged by the Major Trauma Audit Governance Committee, writes Maureen Browne.

The Irish National ICU Audit Annual Report 2017 shows that most Irish ICUs work at the limits of their capacity, but provide high quality care with similar patient outcomes to the UK,” according to Dr Rory Dwyer, Clinical Lead for the Audit Report. Maureen Browne reports.

If there was a moment that stopped the Irish nation last year it was when the late Emma Mhic Mhathuna recounted on Morning Ireland sitting her young children down and telling them about her cervical cancer diagnosis, writes Eimear Caslin.

The HMI Annual Conference will take place on October 2, 2019 in the Concert Hall, RDS, Dublin 4.