National Public Health Publications
Survey highlights training needs of Senior Medical Officers in Public Health
A new report from the Faculty of Public Health Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) and the Health Service Executive (HSE) highlights the training and educational needs of Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) working within Ireland's public health sector.
The SMO Training Needs Survey, conducted in late 2024, emphasises the evolving role of SMOs amid ongoing public health reforms and proposes actionable recommendations aimed at developing an agile and versatile SMO workforce. These recommendations are designed to equip SMOs with the skills necessary to adapt to new roles and meet the changing demands of public health.
The survey, commissioned by the HSE's National Office of Public Health, aimed to assess current training and educational gaps among SMOs working within the specialty of public health in the HSE. It focused on understanding how the SMO workforce can be better prepared to meet the demands of a rapidly changing public health landscape, including the implementation of Sláintecare and the integration of multidisciplinary teams in public health delivery. Among the survey’s findings, a significant number of SMOs indicated a need for further training in areas such as health data analysis, service integration, leadership skills, and understanding emerging public health models. These gaps in training must be addressed to ensure SMOs can effectively manage the increasingly complex challenges within public health.
Key Recommendations
To tackle these identified training needs and align SMOs’ roles with public health reform, the report outlines eight key recommendations:
RCPI and HSE, Summary Report SMO Training Needs Survey Key Findings and Recommendations, Jan 2025
Congenital anomaly registers
There are two active regional congenital anomaly registers in the Republic of Ireland; all are members of JRC-EUROCAT, the European network of congenital anomaly registers.
To find out more about these two registries, please visit the Congenital Anomaly Registers in Ireland - HSE.ie page.
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