Five local healthcare projects have been shortlisted for the HSE Achievement Awards 2010, from more than 90 entries from healthcare workers across the HSE South counties of Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford, Cork and Kerry.
The HSE Achievement Awards 2010, in association with Quest Diagnostics, were created to recognise and celebrate outstanding work by health and social care staff and ultimately reward best practice and raise standards within the health sector.
A total of 328 healthcare projects and initiatives from all over the country have applied for this year’s HSE Achievement Awards and five HSE South entries have been chosen to go forward to the National Event to be held in Dublin’s Mansion House on November 24th next.
Speaking at a special Regional Recognition Event to formally acknowledge the efforts of all the applicants, Mr Barry O’Brien, HSE South’s Director of Human Resources, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all applicants in the HSE South region for submitting their applications and giving us the opportunity to see first hand the hard work, innovation and dedication every one of you has given to the health service. The entries for this competition clearly demonstrate that innovation in our health and social care services is being led by staff who are committed to finding new and better ways of delivering improved care despite the many challenges we face.”
More than 90 applications were received from the HSE South region and there was a huge range of projects from the clinical services, primary care and social services, support services and management initiatives.”
Mr O’Brien added: “I know all of your efforts are designed with our patient and clients in mind and I think these awards are a wonderful way of encouraging everyone to continue to strive to do the very best for our service users.”
The five short listed projects from HSE South are:
1. The Conversation Partner Scheme, submitted by HSE South’s South Lee Community Speech & Language Therapy Department in Cork
People suffering with communication difficulties after having a stroke, a condition known as ‘asphasia’, are visited in their own home by trained volunteer ‘conversation partners’.
Asphasia-sufferers may live alone or have little contact with people outside of their homes. Some may have little opportunity to have conversations outside of the speech and language therapy clinic.
“The Conversation Partner Scheme” recruits, trains and supervises volunteers to visit with a partner once a week for an hour over a six month period.
This scheme fits in with the World Health Organisation (WHO) social model of disability by giving clients with aphasia the opportunity to share their ideas and interests, thus improving their quality of life. This programme is based on a model provided by Connect in the UK (www.ukconnect.org).
2. The West Cork Falls Prevention Service,submitted by Bantry General Hospital and the HSE South’s West Cork Primary, Community and Continuing Care Services
Older people living in West Cork - one of Ireland’s most rural areas - are assessed by a team of health professionals and helped to reduce their risk of falling and being injured.
Co-operation between the HSE South’s community and hospital services allows high-risk patients to be identified and referred for a one-stop, comprehensive falls risk assessment performed by a dedicated multi-disciplinary healthcare team. This has allowed frail, older patients to benefit from a high quality service, close to home in a rural setting.
“The West Cork Falls Prevention Service” uses the most up-to-date international protocols and procedures to assist medical decision-making and to identify evidence-based, targeted interventions that will significantly reduce the risk of falling and sustaining injuries.
3. Informing families of their child’s disability, submitted by hospital, community and voluntary disability groups in the Cork area.
A pilot project to help improve the experience of parents, who are informed of their child’s diagnosis of disability, and to improve support for professionals involved in the communication of the diagnosis, was launched in the Cork area.
The project was established to pilot the implementation of evidence-based Best Practice Guidelines for informing Families of their Child’sDisability.
The project was lead by a Steering Committee, chaired by a parent of two children with disabilities, and was implemented in hospitals and the HSE South Local Health Office, including the disability services in the Cork area.
Professionals from medical, nursing and allied health disciplines in a wide range of organisations participated in the project.
4. The Glen Early Language and Learning Pilot Project, submitted by HSE South’s North Lee Speech and Language Department and North Lee Community Work Department
A speech and language development programme for young children living in The Glen area of Cork city, was jointly developed by the HSE South and Cork City Partnership and run on a pilot basis.
The project covers two parts. Firstly, a speech and language development programme for ‘Junior Infants’ in two primary schools, provided by the HSE South Speech and Language Therapy Service working with the schools in the area. Secondly, a professional ‘Teacher Talk Series’ programme for five pre-schools in the area, including an ‘oral language’ programme for the children. Professional training was provided to assist the pre-school staff in implementing the programmes. Both elements of the project encourage a community development approach, in that each partner involved, has an opportunity to consult on the development of the project.
5. Surgical Site Infection Surveillance Service, submitted by Wexford General Hospital
Following surgery, patients can develop infection at the site where surgery took place. Most ‘surgical site infections’ occur about five to ten days after an operation. Although Wexford General Hospital had introduced an international ‘Surgical Site Infection Surveillance System’ in 2006, it was felt that with changes in surgical practices, like shorter stays in hospital, that the figures for ‘surgical site infections’ were being underestimated.
For more accurate figures of SSI rates, the Hospital introduced a new post-discharge surveillance system, last January (2010), to monitor infection rates in patients who have been discharged.
Surgical Site Infection rates have continued to fall over the past three years at Wexford General Hospital. In 2007 the SSI rate was 9.0%; in 2008 5.4% and in 2009 the rate is recorded at 4.4%.
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The HSE South Regional Best Project and Runner Up awards, to be announced in the Mansion House in November, are being kindly sponsored by Complete Telecom.
Five entries from each of the four HSE Regions (HSE South, HSE West, HSE Dublin Mid Leinster and HSE Dublin North East) have been short listed to go forward to the National Event in November when the overall winners of the HSE Achievement Awards 2010 will be announced. Regional Recognition Events have also being held in Dublin, Galway and Tullamore.