Board holds public meeting in Sligo and launch 2014 Annual Report

The Board of the Saolta University Health Care Group today (May 12^th 2015) held its fifth public meeting, which took place in Sligo. At the meeting, the Group’s Annual Report for 2014 was presented and accepted by the Board and there was a presentation by Grainne McCann, Manager Sligo Regional Hospital on the Sligo based winning projects at the recent Irish Healthcare Awards.

Commenting Dr John Killeen, Interim Chair of the Board said, “Over the last year, the Board has continued to develop and progress its governance structures.  The reorganisation of the acute hospital system remains a key, Government led, health reform. The Board is responsible for ensuring that the Saolta Group is achieving its strategic objectives and effectively managing its available resources to provide sustainable, safe and effective person- centred care. Patient safety and quality are core to our mission and will be at the centre of our decision making.

“There were 13 Board meetings in 2014, two of which were held in public. All Board meetings rotated across the Group allowing Board members the opportunity to visit the hospitals in the Group and meet with the staff. Sub-committees of the Board, dealing with patient safety, audit, strategic manpower planning and finance were established or further defined over the course of 2014. I would like to acknowledge the professionalism of our 9,000 staff who remain committed to the ongoing development of a high quality health service to the people of the West and North West.

“At the meeting today we also had a presentation from Grainne McCann, General Manager Sligo Regional Hospital. The hospital recently received three awards at the Irish Healthcare Awards including the award for best public hospital. These awards recognised the achievement, innovation and efforts by all staff working in Sligo Regional Hospital in the delivery and improvement of services. Two projects, Improvements in pre-admission care and Changing the face of post-operative ophthalmology procedures through best use of technology were winners in their respective categories. At the centre of both of these projects was the development of new systems and processes and the utilisation of technology to make the service better for their patients. I would like to congratulate all the staff in Sligo Regional Hospital for this achievement which clearly demonstrates their commitment to improving patient care”.

Commenting at the meeting Maurice Power, Chief Executive Officer of the Saolta University Health Care Group said “the publication of the 2014 Annual Report is the third such report produced by our Group.  Its publication highlights the excellent work which takes place every day across our seven hospital sites.  In 2014 we made further significant progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the Hospital Groups report and the Smaller Hospitals Framework.

“Other initiatives include:

- The development of an integrated approach to education and training for all health care professionals in the Group in conjunction with academic partners;

- The publication of the Group’s three year Healthy Ireland implementation plan;

-The roll out of the Group’s Human Resource Strategy;

-Progressing the commissioning of cross-border health service arrangements

-The rebranding of the Group to the Saolta University Health Care Group.

“Demand for our services continues to increase each year and 2014 was no different. 277,146 patients received either inpatient or day case treatments in our Hospitals in 2014. We treated 111,254 inpatients– 1 % more than the previous year and 165,892 patients were treated on a day case basis – 5% more than the previous year. There were 195,080 attendances at the five Emergency Departments and 4,650 patients were seen in the Urgent Care Centre in Roscommon Hospital. Our Outpatients Department saw 540,024 patients and across the five maternity units there were 9,553 births.

“Our Clinical Directorate model is currently being rolled out across all acute hospital sites. This involved the appointment of four Clinical Directors across the Group for Women and Children’s services, Medicine, Perioperative and Diagnostics.  We are currently appointing Associate Clinical Directors in each of these areas to ensure there is clinical leadership across each hospital site.

“We have achieved much across the Group in 2014 and I am confident that we can continue to deliver a quality service in 2015. Undoubtedly we will have challenges but I look forward  to working with all the staff of the Saolta University Health Care Group as we continue our efforts to strengthen the links and further integrate the six hospitals while we deliver a safe service for the people we serve”.

Pictured above are:

Tony Canvan, Chief Operating Officer at Saolta University Health Care Group
John Killeen, Interim Chair at Saolta University Health Care Group
Maurice Power, CEO at Saolta University Health Care Group

Issued by Saolta Group Communications