A number of Irish healthcare, social care organisations and universities are featured in the index of the top 100 companies leading in wellbeing, launched by Ibec in partnership with the Business & Finance media group.
This index, in its fourth year and the first of its kind in Ireland, recognises the top businesses of all sizes which are leading the way and have improved their performance in supporting employee mental health and wellbeing.
The index consists exclusively of companies in Ibec’s KeepWell community. The list focuses primarily on those companies which hold an active KeepWell Mark accreditation with exception being made to include a limited few companies, who upon entering the programme had already demonstrated a high standard of wellbeing performance and had put the appropriate measures in place to meet the standards of the KeepWell Mark and were scheduled for formal assessment.
On the 2024 Index are:
Blackrock Health Group: Blackrock Health consists of three leading modern hospitals and a diagnostic clinic employing 3,000 staff. Its hospitals are Blackrock Clinic, Galway Clinic, Hermitage Clinic and Limerick Clinic, which is a diagnostic service. “Staff wellbeing forms a key part of our People Strategy supporting and offering opportunities to all employees to make positive choices about their health and wellbeing. Achievement of The KeepWell Mark is acknowledgement of our commitment to staff wellbeing and to having a workplace with flexible work arrangements and a healthy work life balance,” said a hospital spokesperson.
Bon Secours Health System: Bon Secours Health System is Ireland’s largest independent hospital group. It is a not-for-profit organisation with its mission centred on providing compassionate, world class medical treatment to all those it serves. With over 4,000 staff, 500 leading consultants, Bon Secours treats in excess of 300,000 patients annually in its five modern acute hospitals in Cork Galway, Limerick, Tralee and Dublin, as well as a Care Village in Cork. It is the largest provider of private healthcare in Ireland.
Dublin Simon Community: Dublin Simon Community provides services to more than 6,000 people in Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath, Louth, Cavan, Monaghan, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Services range from outreach support for people who are rough sleeping, emergency accommodation, treatment, counselling & recovery services for people experiencing addiction issues, long-term supported accommodation, independent housing units, tenancy support and homelessness prevention services, resettlement services for people moving out of homelessness and into a home of their own and education and employability services. With almost 500 full-time employees, volunteer programmes, student placements, and Community Employment projects the organisation strongly believes that their staff are their greatest strength and asset. “The organisation has the strategic aim of ensuring the workplace supports staff wellbeing so that they can feel and perform at their best while doing life-changing work that brings the organisational mission, values, and strategic plan to life”.
Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA): The Health Products Regulatory Authority regulates medicines and devices for the benefit of people and animals. It is committed to excellence in health product regulation through science, collaboration and innovation. Its remit and regulatory functions include human and veterinary medicines, clinical trials, medical devices, controlled drugs, blood and blood components, tissues and cells, and cosmetic products. “We use our scientific and clinical expertise to review and monitor health products available in Ireland or exported abroad. Our aim is to make sure that health products we regulate are as safe as possible and do what they are intended to do.”
Irish Wheelchair Association: The Irish Wheelchair Association is one of Ireland’s leading organisations for people with physical disabilities. It provides a nationwide assisted living service, community centres in every county, a fleet of accessible buses, a national parking permit and driving school service, wheelchair accessible social houses and helps young people with disabilities to build employability skills and confidence. “Our flagship sports programme, IWA Sport, is the national governing body for wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and powerlifting and runs sports clubs for children and adults. Many of Ireland’s finest para-athletes started their careers with IWA Sport.”
Milford Care Centre: Milford Care Centre is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation and a registered charity, first established by the Little Company of Mary Sisters in 1928 and providing Specialist Palliative Care Services and Older Persons’ Services in the Midwest. The Board of Directors, CEO and the Management Team oversee the service delivery and fundraising activities. As a voluntary organisation it works in partnership with the HSE; the Specialist Palliative Care services and Older Adult services are state funded. Fundraising remains integral to Milford Care Centre with monies raised going towards enhancing care experiences for patients and their families. Fundraising will continue to fund specialised individual care needs, equipment to enhance the comfort of those with a life limiting illness and provide family support. We are extremely grateful for the generosity of the general public, who contribute to our services by donating money or running fundraising events. . “One of our greatest assets are our staff and there are over 400 staff working for Milford Care Centre, across the Midwest region. Every day our staff care for patients/residents and support their families during what is most likely a very vulnerable time in their lives. As an organisation we support our staff by keeping their wellbeing central.”
National Cancer Registry Ireland: The National Cancer Registry Ireland (NCRI) is a publicly appointed body, established in 1991, to collect and classify information on all cancer cases which occur in Ireland. Its activities include – collecting information on all new cancer cases in Ireland, monitoring trends and outcomes in different cancer types, promoting the use of the information we collect in research and in the planning and management of services, and publishing an annual report on cancer statistics. Cancer registration in the Republic of Ireland by the NCRI is population-based, covering a population of 5.01 million in 2023. The NCRI is funded by the Department of Health. The NCRI regularly publishes reports on cancer incidence and survival and, more periodically, on prevalence and projections and has developed a diverse portfolio of research projects, many of which involve external collaboration. “The National Cancer Registry employs 54 people and runs an employee wellbeing programme which is supported by the organisation’s management team, ensuring employees are encouraged to embrace the concepts of wellbeing and are supported across all areas of wellness including mental health, physical activity, diet and nutrition. This effort to make wellbeing a strategic focus by prioritising staff welfare has won NCRI The KeepWell Mark.”
RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences: RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences is ranked first in the world for its contribution to UN Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Well-being, in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2023. Exclusively focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide, RCSI is an international not-for-profit university. It is among the top 300 universities worldwide in the World University Rankings (2024). RCSI has been awarded Athena Swan Bronze accreditation for positive gender practice in higher education and the university is a signatory to the Healthy Campus Charter. “Founded in 1784 as the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) with national responsibility for training surgeons in Ireland, today RCSI is an innovative, world-leading international health sciences university and research institution offering education and training at undergraduate, postgraduate and professional level.”
Saint John of God Hospital Stillorgan: Saint John of God Hospital, Stillorgan is an independent acute psychiatric teaching hospital with 182 in-patient beds and one of the leading European providers in mental health treatment and care. In addition to a range of outpatient services, which include psychiatry, psychology, WRAP (the Wellness Recovery Action Plan) and the Stress Clinics located in Dublin. The Hospital currently provides specialist services in Addictions, Psychosis, Eating Disorders, Psychiatry of Later Life and Adolescent services. The Hospital is affiliated with University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin City University, the University of Limerick for undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare professional programmes, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland. “Saint John of God Hospital is included in the Top 100 Companies Leading in Wellbeing Index which acknowledges companies across Ireland that are leading the way for employee wellbeing and who, through their commitment to instilling a best practice approach, have made a lasting impact on their employees and on the business community. Saint John of God Hospital was originally accredited with the KeepWell Mark from Ibec in January 2020 while the hospital was re-accredited again in June 2022.”
St. Patrick’s Mental Health Services: St Patrick’s Mental Health Services (SPMHS) is Ireland’s largest independent, not for-profit mental health service provider. It provides community and outpatient care through its Dean Clinics, and day patient services through its Wellness & Recovery Centre. A multidisciplinary inpatient service is provided through its three approved centres: St Patrick’s University Hospital (241 beds), St Patrick’s, Lucan (52 beds) and Willow Grove Adolescent Unit (14 beds). SPMHS also offers a Homecare service and remote access to its services through phone, video or online channels. SPMHS’ vision is to see a society where all citizens are empowered and given the opportunity to live mentally healthy lives. “St Patrick’s Mental Health Services strives to provide the highest quality mental healthcare and works to promote positive mental health; to raise awareness about mental health; and to advocate for the rights of those experiencing mental health difficulties. This is achieved through a human rights based approach, through the enhancement of evidence-based knowledge and by striving to be at the forefront of new initiatives and advances in the field.”
St. Vincent’s Private Hospital: St Vincent’s Private Hospital is the single, biggest private hospital in Dublin and part of St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group. Situated on the same grounds as St. Vincent’s University Hospital, in Elm Park, Dublin 4, it shares resources, expertise and medical facilities with one of the country’s leading academic teaching hospitals. “At St Vincent’s Healthcare Group we will strive to maintain excellence in clinical, multi-disciplinary care, education and research – and we will continue to develop our hospitals in line with these principles, and with our responsibilities to the wider Irish healthcare system. We will treat each of our patients individually with dignity and respect recognising, at all times, the right of everyone to access the care and treatment they need to achieve the best possible healthcare outcomes – regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or gender. We will remain true to our values of human dignity, compassion, justice, quality and advocacy.”
Tallaght University Hospital: Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) is one of Ireland’s largest acute teaching hospitals, the Hospital has 450 inpatient adult beds, 74 onsite day beds for Dialysis, Oncology, Infusion, Haematology, Cardiology, Bone & Joint and minor surgery services. The Hospital also has a Day Surgery Centre located near the Hospital which has four theatres and 25 bays for elective surgery. There are an additional 61 offsite beds under its governance. The Hospital is staffed by over 3,000 people with 63 different nationalities represented on the team. The Hospital is a provider of local, regional and national specialties. It is also a national urology centre, the second largest provider of dialysis services in the country and is a designated trauma unit. TUH is one of the two main teaching hospitals of Trinity College Dublin – specialising in the training and professional development of staff in areas such as nursing, health & social care professionals, emergency medicine and surgery, amongst many others. TUH is part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group which serves a population of over 1.2M across seven counties.
University of Galway: The University of Galway is a research-led university and is one of the oldest and largest universities in Ireland. We are an international university with global ambition, but with deep roots in Galway City and West of Ireland, which is renowned for its unique culture, creative industries, medical technologies, marine ecology and economy, and innovation. “From this unique location, we are passionate about leading the future to a more sustainable future. We boast 11 Green Lab certified laboratories. We are committed to using our talents and skills to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals from multiple perspectives. University of Galway is 1st in Ireland for sustainable development, world top 50, for UN sustainable Development Goals. With over 18.000 students,17%of whom are international students from 110 countries. The University has a long-established reputation of teaching and research excellence in the Colleges of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies; Business, Public Policy, and Law; Engineering and Science, Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences with over 2,500 staff, and 110,000 alumni networks worldwide, achieving, 10 Athena SWAN Awards. The university of Galway is one of the largest employers in Galway and makes a significant contribution to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of the city.
