Helen Stokes, HSE Assistant National Director and Head of the Infectious Diseases Isolation Facility at St. Ita’s Campus, Portrane, Co. Dublin, who was one of the HSE nominees to HOPE this year, writes about her experience, when she was hosted by the Noordwest Hospital in the Netherlands.
The HOPE Exchange Programme is a four-week training period intended for managers and other professionals with managerial responsibilities. Applicants must be working in hospitals and healthcare facilities, adequately experienced in their profession (minimum of three years’ experience) and be proficient in the language that is accepted by the host country.
The HOPE Exchange Programme is not a medical or technical programme. It is a multi-professional programme aimed at professions and professionals who are directly or indirectly involved in the management of European health care services and hospitals. Participation of candidates and host organisations is organised through the distribution of information (application forms, timetable, information sheets) by national co-ordinators and depends on the willingness of the employing authority to grant special leave with pay to the candidates going abroad.
From May 13 to June 6, 2024, a total of 120 healthcare professionals, with diverse backgrounds and all in management positions, participated in the four week hospital exchange across 20 countries in Europe. The emphasis of the programme is practical, rather than academic and takes into account the professional’s specific motivation for joining the programme, as well as the agreed theme for the year – “Keeping our Health Workforce”.
In line with the Agora theme, ‘Keeping our health workforce!’ the Group also had to observe how hospitals and the health sector overall were working to meet challenges in recruiting and retaining health and social care staff and come back with examples of good practices.
During my four-week period in the Netherlands, I visited many different Departments in the host Hospital, Noordwest, and also their Sister Hospital in Den Helder and their Satellite Clinic in Tesler.
Some of these included, Clinic of Tomorrow, Young Noordwest, Infection & Prevention and Transformation Programme. I also met with the Members of the Board, Jurgen Sernee and Kees-Jan Ponsenm Clinical Lead and Trauma Surgeon.
The Family House was similar to the Ronald McDonald House, but with more accommodation for patients, families and staff; and with facilities for bereavement care.
The Hospitals’ and Clinical Teams worked with the HR Department on Workforce Planning and Recruitment & Selection.
We also visited other Teams in the On-Boarding Programme and the Departments of Leadership & Culture, Communications and Occupational Health & Wellbeing, as well as facilities for Volunteers, Academia, Tele-medicine an Emergency Department and the Hospital Control Room.
The programme also included some National Meetings/Visits. We visited Utrecht; Eindhoven, Amsterdam and Zwolle. These trips encompassed both work on the Agora Presentation, visitations to healthcare facilities and a social programme. The meetings included all the participants in the Netherlands (see photo). The Netherlands Group included people from Austria, Poland, Finland, Belgium and Estonia.
I felt the entire programme was a very worthwhile experience. Some of the things that stood out for me are:
- Volunteers – There were over 550 Volunteers working in the hospital a separate workforce.
- The Family House – An excellent facility for patients, relatives and staff. Again, this is staffed mainly by Volunteers, is funded by voluntary donations and is managed by a small efficient and effective staff group.
- Sustainability & Green Teams – All Departments had a “green” theme and plans for how they could be more sustainable.
- Managers/Staff Drive – Many of the Managers & Staff we met appeared to be very driven in wanting to develop their own Department and make Noordwest a better healthcare facility.
- Patient Flow – To provide efficient care in both Alkmaar & Den Helder.
- Den Helder – The Acute Admissions & Day Care Unit.
- Telemedicine – Currently 1,000 clients with the aim of increasing this to 10,000 in two years.
The exchange gave me the opportunity to learn from colleagues in other countries and to grow professionally. Not only did I learn about another healthcare system but I have brought some of this learning back to my own work environment. My take home message is “Go, See, Ask Why and Show Respect”.
The HOPE exchange programme culminated in Brussels at the HOPE Agora conference 2024. HOPE President Eamonn Fitzgerald and Vice-President Francis De Drée moderated the two days. They welcomed almost 200 participants, speakers, HOPE members, national coordinators, and hosts from across Europe.
The HOPE Agora 2025 will take place from June 13 -15, 2025 and will focus on the topic ‘Together for Quality!’. For more details on the HOPE Exchange programme, please contact the Irish National Coordinator Ms Siobhán Regan, HR Leadership, Learning & Talent Management Manager, Health Service Executive (HSE) Burlington Business Park, Sragh Road, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, R35 F7X4 siobhan.regan@hse.ie Tel: +353 86 6012165..
