Award for Plastics Team and Roscommon Hospital

The Plastics Team at Roscommon Hospital presented at the HSE Integrated Care Conference, which took place in Dublin Castle last week and were awarded first prize for their work in their See and Treat model of care at Roscommon Hospital.
The award acknowledged the success of the See and Treat service which was established in Roscommon Hospital in July 2011 and is now providing a service to patients across the whole region, from Donegal to Clare. The service enables a patient to have their consultation and procedure on the same day where possible; therefore the vast majority of patients need to attend the service just once. This is obviously more convenient for patients and their families.
Surveillance clinics began in July 2013 and they provide staff  with the opportunity to review high risk skin cancer patients. They review approximately 70 patients per surveillance day and to date, 600 patients have been seen and treated as part of this initiative. The service enables staff to review high-risk skin cancer patients and ensures accurate follow-up care for patients with melanoma, squamous carcinoma and other high-risk skin cancers. It is widely accepted that early identification of recurrence improves a patient’s survival rate. This service also provides staff  with an opportunity to provide important information on skin cancer prevention. The team work very closely and are continually looking for ways to innovate and improve patient care. They hold particular initiative days where patients with painful or debilitating conditions are seen and treated quickly.
Commenting  on the service, staff nurse Bernie Finneran said, “An new initiative, as part of this service is the development of our surveillance booklet. This initiative is entirely nurse-led and is a very effective communication tool. It allows for improved communication between the hospital and GPs and means the patient has a greater understanding and control of their condition or treatment. We are continually looking at ways of communicating the services available to patients in our clinic and we hold regular GP information evenings and Public Health Nurse briefing sessions. My colleague Amanda O’Halloran is currently in the process of qualifying as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and this development will allow us further expand the work of the service”.
Concluding, Elaine Prendergast, General Manager, Roscommon Hospital added, “I would like to congratulate the Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery team here in Roscommon for this award which is recognises the first class service they provide to the people of Roscommon and far beyond.”