An event took place in Ballyshannon last week to celebrate the ‘Quality Improvement Initiative’ project by the HSE.
The project involved 21 initiatives carried out by medics in five counties of the HSE CHO area – Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo.
Seven General Practitioners and 14 Health and Social Care Professionals / Services took on the initiatives from June 2018 in the areas of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Dementia and Stroke Prevention and Rehabilitation.
L to R: Claire Hennigan, Lead, Quality Improvement Initiative Project, Long Term Conditions Programme, CHO 1, Claire Mathews, Occupational Therapist, Psychiatry Service of Old Age, Community Mental Health Service, Sligo/Leitrim, Marguerite Cryan, Team Coordinator, Psychiatry Service of Old Age, Community Mental Health Service, Sligo/Leitrim, Ms Patricia Kelleher, Service User, Mr Ted Kelleher, Service User, Ms Cara O’Neill, Head of Service, Health and Wellbeing Division, CHO 1
The HSE said the standard of initiatives has not only had positive outcomes for service users and their carers but has also enabled services to drive improvement on a collaborative basis through multidisciplinary working.
A number of measurable improvements in quality of care have been achieved including service users receiving care closer to home, improvements in their overall health and having increased confidence and motivation to self manage their condition.
The purpose of the Quality Improvement Initiative Celebratory event was to enable General Practitioners and Health and Social Care Professionals / Services to showcase the positive outcomes and tangible benefits that undertaking Quality Improvement Initiatives have had for their service users and their own practice.
L to R: Claire Hennigan, Lead, Quality Improvement Initiative Project, Long Term Conditions Programme, CHO 1, Dr Ciaran Roarty, General Practitioner, Scally, McDaid, Roarty Medical Practice, Letterkenny, Co Donegal
It was an opportunity for individuals and services to network and learn from one another’s experiences and share learning. Poster presentations on each of the twenty one Quality Improvement Initiatives were on display and Health Care Professionals and General Practitioners were available to discuss their Initiatives and detail findings from their projects.
Ms Cara O’Neill, Head of Service, Health and Wellbeing Division, CHO 1 spoke about the importance of Collaborative and partnership working, across CHO Area 1 stating “It is essential to have days such as this where we can showcase the tremendous work that is being done in the development of tools and ways of working to improve the quality of care given to those living with a Long Term Condition. I commend and thank all General Practitioners and Health and Social Care Professionals and Services for their hard work and dedication in undertaking Quality Improvement Initiatives that have greatly enhanced the standards of care for service users in our area.”
