Managed Clinical and Academic Networks

Introduction

The Saolta Group Strategy 2019—2023 and Sláintecare sets out the need for greater integration to ensure more standardised, safer and better outcomes for patients.   The Saolta Integrated Governance Project is clearly focused on this important deliverable with the further evolvement of the clinical directorate model that has been in place for the last number of years.   The introduction of Managed Clinical and Academic Networks (MCANs) in 2020 commencing with Women’s and Children’s (W&C) and Cancer services will achieve this through our hospitals and individual specialities working closer together to further improve the service we provide to our patients. 

What is an MCAN?

An MCAN is a group-wide management structure under which clinical services will be organised across Saolta Hospitals.   Each MCAN will have a Director, a General Manager and Director of Nursing/Midwifery. Associate Directors will represent individual hospital/s on the MCAN Management Team to oversee and develop group-wide services. The MCANs will be supported by core services including HR, Finance, Quality and Patient Safety and Information Services.  There will be a key focus on academic in ensuring evidence-based best practice is to the forefront of service delivery.  

Key features of the MCAN include:

• A collaborative approach to providing care with hospitals and specialities working together improving quality and outcomes for patients.
• The MCAN will work closely with individual hospitals to develop and implement strategy, group-wide policies and clinical pathways to ensure improved services for patients.
• Further integration in education, research, and training to improve the recruitment and retention of staff and support the development of highly skilled multidisciplinary teams. 

Work has been underway over the past 2 years to plan for the implementation of the MCANs.  The first phase began in January this year and involves the formal establishment of the Women’s and Children’s MCAN and the Cancer MCAN.  (See diagram below for specialities within each of the MCANs)

This trial of concept phase during 2020 will be used to assess the model and impact on services. 
Feedback and learning will inform the further roll-out to other specialities across the Saolta Group.

Professor John Morrison—Director of Women’s and Children’s MCAN Professor Morrison has been a Consultant Obstetrician/ Gynaecologist with a Sub-Specialist in Feto-Maternal Medicine at University Hospital Galway since 1997. He has also served as Head/ Chairman of the Academic Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, at NUIG. His clinical commitment includes general obstetrics & gynaecology, but with a special emphasis on fetal medicine and high-risk obstetrics, and is lead for the Saolta Group specialist referral services for these areas. He is a member of and has served on national and international committees pertaining to clinical practice, research, and education in Obstetrics & Gynaecology.

Professor Michael Kerin—Director of Cancer MCAN Professor Kerin is the Chair of Surgery at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and a Consultant Surgeon in GUH with special interest in       breast and endocrine cancer. He is Research Director of the National Breast Cancer Research Institute and principal investigator at the Lambe   Institute for Translational Research, NUI Galway and with Precision Oncology Ireland, a national collaborative cancer research initiative. He is a   member of both national and international committees and is a guest lecturer and a frequent keynote speaker at national and international cancer   meetings.