Building a Better Health Service
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We're improving our health service every day
Patient
Photography group helps mental health
Occupational therapists on the Coolock and Darndale Community Mental Health Teams brought together both service users and team members to form a photography group to tackle isolation and build morale in the midst of COVID-19 restrictions and despite limited resources available. As indoor and outdoor face-to-face groups had and still are discontinued due to increased risks, the occupational therapists decided to go digital in engaging their service users.
News
HSE complete the millionth COVID-19 test
As the HSE hit the millionth COVID-19 test on Wednesday, one contact tracer (CT) has given an insight into an average day carrying out the vital work. Caroline Lennon-Nally explained that she had requested a move to the contact tracing team from her role in the National Quality Improvement Team when the pandemic hit back in March. “I recognised the critical importance of CT in protecting the health of the people of Ireland. I am passionate about working with people in order to help and support them and that was my primary motivation for requesting to be involved in this work,” said the contact tracer. Virtual contact tracers (CTs) are people who work outside the standard call centers. In the case of COVID-19, most are likely working from home.
Individual
St John of God Liffey Services develop award winning Person-centred Plans digital solution for people with intellectual disabilities.
The belief that everyone deserves access to their information was a driving force behind an award-winning project for people with intellectual disabilities. For the past decade, the St John of God (SJOG) Liffey Services team have been working with multimedia to support total communication approaches for people with an intellectual disability. Their resultant ‘Person-centred Plans’ (PCP) has earned them the award for Innovation in Integrated Digital Excellence at the recent HSE Health Service Excellence Awards. The Liffey Services team spent years researching, testing and piloting systems to support accessible PCPs during this time. The project group’s focus was ensuring they created a transparent and accessible person-centred planning system. They co-designed an accessible PCP platform on iplanit with software developers Aspirico thanks to a QIC eHealth grant. “Our aim is not only to put the person first in theory but, through the use of multimedia and assistive technology, to ensure that they have access to their plans and records in real-time,” explained Sarah Gavra Boland, Assistive Technology Co-Ordinator, SJOG Liffey Services.
Your Health
UHG re design antenatal and postnatal classes
The Parent Education Department at University Hospital Galway have re-designed their services to meet the needs of mothers and their families in recent months.
Your Health
Clonskeagh Community Nursing Unit transformed into a ‘butterfly home’ improving lives of patients living with dementia.
Residents of a community nursing unit have been empowered to lead their own care in an environment where they can feel at home thanks to an award-winning initiative.
Your Health
Mental Health Service Training Centres come to the rescue in the frontline battle against COVID-19
Three HSE Mental Health Service Training Centres across Co Roscommon came to the rescue to modify unsuitable PPE so it could be used in the frontline battle against COVID-19.
We need to support our workforce who have experienced significant increases in demand, and have been doing 'more with less' over the last number of years.