Waterford health care conference puts patient first
‘A Changing Workforce for 21st Century Health Care - Challenges and Solutions’ on 10 December gives patients, the public and health care professionals the opportunity to hear solutions to the shortage of health care professionals
The annual health care conference run by Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) is opening its doors for the first time to the public. One of the speakers is Dr Hilary Dunne of Patient Opinion Ireland.
The free conference “A changing workforce for 21st century health care – Challenges and Solutions’ ” takes place at WIT on 10 December.
Predominantly aimed at healthcare professionals, it features speakers from all aspects of the healthcare system including Mr Liam Doran, General Secretary, INMO as well as speakers from academia in the UK and US.
Professor John Wells, Head of School of Health Science, WIT explains the timeliness of the focus of this year’s conference.
“One of the consequences of austerity policies is that there is a shortage of health care professionals. This has led to a crisis in morale and care in health services and unprecedented global mobility amongst health care personnel.”
“One of the solutions to date has been role reconfiguration of health care personnel, duties and workloads. However other solutions are required in addition to this. This conference will explore these changes, challenges and proposed ‘winning’ solutions in the context of the global competition for health care personnel.”
Conference delegates will hear about the major difficulties faced by Polish contemporary nursing from Dr Paul Wegorowski, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Poland.
Ms Liz Roche, Office of Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit , Health Service Executive will discuss how can we ensure that the nursing and midwifery care we provide is safe and of a high quality yet efficient? Dr Mark White, Programme Manager to the System Reform Group in the Office of the Director General of the HSE provides an overview of the 12 quarter ‘Action Plan for health service reform’, identifying and discussing the key changes and the professional and workforce opportunities for nursing/midwifery and other health care professionals.
Professor Anne Scott, Dean, Faculty of Education, Health and Community, Liverpool John Moores University will raise the point of the impact and effectiveness of nursing interventions on patient outcomes and patient perception of the quality nursing care. Dr Hilary Dunne of Patient Opinion Ireland will bring the patient’s perspective to the table.
“In 2013, we set up Patient Opinion Ireland as a means of encouraging patients, carers, family members and staff to share their experiences of healthcare in Ireland as a means of improving services through feedback. 60% of patients, the equivalent of about 250,000 patients per year are unaware of how to make a complaint or how to access their records through the Freedom of Information,” says Dr Dunne.
“Failure to listen and encourage patients to give their feedback good and bad is a failure to recognise the importance of patients within the healthcare system.”
“When we prolong the wait for treatment, provide inconsistent or provide treatment of a lower quality, healthcare providers are effectively creating their own emergencies, which in the long run will require even more resources,” she says.
Speaking about the upcoming conference Dr Mark White from the System Reform Group at the HSE commented that:
“This conference is a very important gathering of speakers and healthcare professionals who are coming together to discuss some of the most pertinent workforce issues in relation the future of healthcare. The Irish health system is about to undertake one of the most monumental reforms in its history during 2016.”
WIT's Department of Nursing and Health Care 2015 health care conference runs from 8.30am-3.30pm on Thursday, 10 December 2015 at O'Connell Bianconi Building, WIT Main Campus.
Bookings are essential. Please contact Ms Breda Walsh, Department of Nursing and Health Care on 051 845567 or [email protected].
The conference programme has Category 1 approval from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland with six CEUs (continuing education units).
Speakers include
Professor John Wells, Head of School of Health Science, Waterford Institute of Technology
Professor Anne Scott, Dean, Faculty of Education, Health and Community, Liverpool John Moores University
Dr Mark White, Programme Manager to the System Reform Group in the Office of the Director General of the HSE
Dr Hilary Dunne, Patient Opinion Ireland
Mr Liam Doran, General Secretary, INMO
Dr Paul Wegorowski, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Lublin, Poland
Ms Liz Roche, Office of Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Unit , Health Service Executive
Mr Mark Thorne, Dean, Ms Lynn Harris, Ms Berthenia Smith, School of Health Sciences, Columbus Technical College, Georgia, USA
Bookings
Bookings are essential. Please contact Ms Breda Walsh, Department of Nursing and Health Care on 051 845567 or [email protected].