IFIC Ireland Update
It’s been a busy time in IFIC Ireland this autumn with webinars, speaking engagements, our inaugural Accelerated Learning Program and we have some updates regarding our upcoming events. First, we are postponing the National Forum to May 2020 to allow the inclusion of a number of SláinteCare initiatives that are only now getting underway. All details are below and for anyone who has submitted an abstract, your paper will be considered for our alternative date.


On September 24th last, IFIC Ireland’s Co-director, Prof. Áine Carroll of University College Dublin (UCD) and the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) spoke at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) Conference on Health and Social Care Supply and Resource Allocation Planning in Ireland. The ESRI published a report on the Geographic Profile of Healthcare Needs and Non-acute Healthcare Supply in Ireland outlining the imbalance across Ireland in the demand for non-acute healthcare services and the supply of primary and non-acute services to meet the needs of the population. Prof. Áine Carroll spoke about how the integration of services in Ireland is progressing and advancing to address the gaps in supply.

The 2019 Health Management Institute of Ireland (HMI) Conference took place in the RDS, Dublin on October 2nd. The HMI is the professional body for healthcare managers across all sectors of the health services in Ireland. Sharon Morrow presented the results of the Manager Pulse Survey 2019 which was undertaken by the HMI to capture the perceptions of its membership on those areas within the health service sector in Ireland where challenges exist and identify which areas should be prioritised. Service integration came top of the poll for those surveyed with 63% indicating it should be the top priority for policy makers in Ireland and 73% indicating that a single health record should be the highest priority for technology investment.
Following the announcement of the survey results, Prof. Áine Carroll took to the stage to speak about Ireland’s Journey Towards Integrated Care, how the implementation of National Clinical Programmes are delivering vast improvements in the delivery of services through better use of resources and how IFIC Ireland can support those seeking to improve delivery and patient outcomes.

IFIC Ireland hosted its first Accelerated Learning Program at the Royal Valentia Hotel from October 7th to 11th. Prof. Anne Hendry and Prof. Áine Carroll, along with adjunct faculty from IFIC, the Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons (ICPOP) and University Hospital Kerry (UHK), provided direction and guidance to teams from UL Hospital Group, National Clinical Programme Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, National Clinical Programme Diabetes and South Dublin Community Intervention Team on designing, refining, implementing and measuring their integrated care projects to improve patient outcomes. The highlight of the week was a site visit that delegates and faculty undertook to the Palliative Care Team led by Dr. Patricia Sheahan at University Hospital Kerry. Palliative care services in Kerry are integrated across the whole county with home care, community-hospital, day-care and hospice care provided, co-ordinated and integrated across Community Health Organisation (CHO) 4, UHK and Kerry Hospice. The week long program was a great success with plenty of learning for all involved and we look forward to catching up with our delegates as their projects progress.
IFIC Ireland is postponing the upcoming National Forum on Integrated Care in Ireland 2019 due to take place on November 6th next in UCD. The Forum has been rescheduled to May 6th 2020 and will also be hosted in UCD on that date. All papers, abstracts and posters submitted to date will be considered for inclusion on May 6th 2020 under our theme of “Transforming Health and Social Care in Ireland: Delivering Lifelong People-centred Care”. The postponement will allow a number of SláinteCare projects and initiatives to have commenced and progressed for inclusion in our program and we look forward to welcoming you all to UCD on the day. If you would like to submit an abstract, the call for papers remains open at NFICI20 Call for Papers. If you wish to register to attend, delegate registration is open at National Forum on Integrated Care in Ireland 2020
We are delighted to announce that we will be hosting a half-day workshop in partnership with the Health and Social Care Board of Northern Ireland (HSCBNI) and the Health Service Executive (HSE) of Ireland in Meeting Room 3 at The Waterfront, Belfast on November 29th next. The workshop will include sessions on Integrated Care in Northern Ireland, An All-Island Approach to Social Prescribing and Digital Enablers for Primary Care with a range of speakers from across the island. Registration is free and you can review the program and register for a place at IFIC Ireland Workshop 2019
If you were unable to attend any of our webinar events to date, you can view the videos and download the presentations from our website here!
We have 2 remaining sessions in the series: