- Professor Dara Byrne appointed HSE National Clinical Lead
- Supporting the delivery of high quality simulation education in Ireland
A new learning environment to support advancements in healthcare delivery was unveiled today (12 October 2023) with the launch of the HSE’s new National Simulation Office (NSO). Simulation leads to better patient outcomes and safer care by improving performance in the individual healthcare professional, the team, the system and the organisation.
Simulation-based education has become a vital component of health education and training, providing a safe environment in which to learn, rehearse and practice. Using simulation as both an educational intervention to directly improve patient outcomes and as a diagnostic tool to examine problems is a powerful asset for modern healthcare organisations to improve the quality of patient care.
Professor Dara Byrne is the newly appointed National Clinical Lead for Simulation, HSE NSO. She is Professor of Simulation Education in Healthcare at the School of Medicine, University of Galway, the Director of Simulation at the Irish Centre for Applied Patient Safety and Simulation, and the Saolta University Health Care Group.
Professor Byrne said: “I am delighted to take up this role and look forward to using my experience in simulation development to enhance the safety and quality of healthcare.
“The establishment of the HSE National Simulation Office marks a pivotal moment. Through the NSO, we can harness the wealth of knowledge and passion in Ireland to build sustainable simulation capacity that aligns with our national educational and training requirements. This will improve patient safety and the quality of care, empower teams to make changes and as a diagnostic tool in systems probing.
“It is an exciting time in health professions education. There is a lot of change and simulation is an essential part of that change. It can support growing numbers of students and trainees, enhance integrated models of care and provide a renewed focus on quality improvement.”
Welcoming the launch of the National Simulation Office, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, said: “Simulation-based education and training is vital component for improving skills, knowledge and behaviours among healthcare professionals. Simulation has been shown to improve patient outcomes and the establishment of a National Simulation Office is an important development for the kind of patient-centred healthcare system we are committed to in Ireland. I would like to wish Professor Dara Byrne the very best in her new role as she brings her significant experience to enhancing simulation training and education.”
Dr Colm Henry, HSE Chief Clinical Officer, said: “Healthcare simulation is an important tool to develop clinical competence and gain experience in skills. Simulation not only supports the performance of the individual but the inter-professional team also. The National Simulation Office will help to transform healthcare, supporting a culture of safety and quality improvement to provide safe, effective, patient-centred care that meets the evolving needs of our health service.”
Visit the HSE NSO webpage for more information or follow them on Twitter #HSESimOffice #SimulationInHealthcare.
Last updated on: 12 / 10 / 2023
