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UCD Health Affairs and CAO Group launch Annual Report 2020

 

Link to CAO Annual Report 2020

As Chief Academic Officer of  (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Ireland East Hospital Group and Vice Principal of  UCD Health Affairs Professor Tim Lynch has been working with his CAO colleagues across the 7  (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)hospital Groups throughout 2020. 
These meetings were initially established to direct a response from the Universities and Hospital Groups around COVID-19 research at the start of the pandemic in 2020 but progressed to include areas of concern in Irish healthcare - such as genomics, biobanking, simulation training and student placement. 
The CAO group have also worked closely with the  (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)NDTP office to ensure simulation training remains a key priority going into 2020 with  increased funding now being received for simulation training of healthcare staff across the 7 hospital groups. 
As a group the CAO's have also met with the  (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to outline the importance of academic healthcare, research, training and innovation development in Irish healthcare going forward.  
In summarising the detailed work carried out by the CAO group during 2020 UCD Health Affairs created the CAO Annual Report 2020 to highlight areas of focus, successes and key priority areas for the CAOs going into 2021. 
The CAO group will continue with this important work going into 2021 to drive key projects in the areas of biobanking and student placement with the ultimate goal of creating an Academic Health Science System in Ireland. 

UCD Health Affairs and Chief Academic Officer Group launch CAO Annual Report 2021

(Click on the image below to access the digital edition. )

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(A PDF version of CAO Annual Report 2021 can be accessed by clicking on the link below:)

CAO Annual Report 2021

 The seven Chief Academic Officers (CAO) of the Hospital Groups linked to the six Medical School Universities act as the bridge between the Universities, the Hospital Groups and the acute hospitals and their affiliated Community Healthcare organisations (CHOs). The CAOs foster partnership for the mutual benefit of both sectors through the pursuit of excellence in education, training, research and innovation. This two/three- way bridge is the key to develop an Academic Health Science System (AHSS)  in Ireland as well as enhancing the core tenets of Sláintecare. The CAOs work with colleagues in all arms of the health sector and medical schools to enhance an academic approach in the hospitals and the community to improve integrated patient care.

(7 Chief Academic Officers from 7 Hospital Groups in Ireland)

A key aim of the Hospital Group structure, established in 2013, is to deliver healthcare through the AHSS model. The appointment of CAOs to each Hospital Group was a formal recognition of this aim and of the need for a stronger relationship between Hospital Groups, acute hospitals and their university partners. As CAOs, our primary mission is to ensure that the people of Ireland get optimal healthcare.

The CAOs established a national CAO weekly forum early in the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic to assist the State. The national CAO forum developed a very productive working relationship to facilitate key initiatives in medical simulation education, to improve clinical placements for students and to stimulate research and innovation through work on the National Research Governance model and the National Irish COVID-19 Biobank (NICB).

Now, to ensure the continual development of sustainable quality and safe healthcare in Ireland, the CAOs seek to establish and drive the development of the AHSS model to assist with the implementation of Sláintecare. The AHSS can be the model that links service delivery and academia, supporting healthcare education as a career choice and enabling translational research and innovation. This will support excellence in healthcare and lead to significant benefits to the patients and to the State. Implementing Sláintecare via the AHSS is the best option to develop and improve Irish healthcare. We believe that there is a need for government policy to underpin the AHSS model of care.

The CAO Group strongly believes that the Irish healthcare and university sectors are at a crucial but exciting junction in their evolution and partnership. What the pandemic has revealed is an impressive capacity for innovation, commitment to implementation, imagination, collegiality and compassion amongst all those Irish agencies responding to the national emergency and their respective leaders. This is an important signpost for the future regarding the potential within the Irish healthcare community, long suspected of being present. What the pandemic has clearly demonstrated is that trust in medical advice based on best scientific evidence exists and that there is a willingness to change and follow best evidence.

Therefore, the immediate future must be marked by significant change, some of which is described in this document. The public have seen this latent energy and capacity for innovation released during the pandemic and will no longer accept procrastination and an ad hoc approach to Irish healthcare delivery.

We conclude this report by briefly outlining what our priorities will be during 2022, including assisting the implementation of Sláintecare and provide added value and quality to both the healthcare and university sectors. We welcome support and assistance in making progress in fulfilling these and commit to working with others to that end.

 

 (Areas of Focus for 2022 - CAO Group)

 For further information on the Chief Academic Officer Group, please visit https://www.ucd.ie/healthaffairs/chiefacademicofficergroup/.

Message from the Chief Academic Officers

(A PDF version of CAO Annual Report 2022 can be accessed by clicking on the link below:)

CAO Annual Report 2022

We are pleased to publish the 2022 Chief Academic Officers Annual Report which represents our third report. The seven Chief Academic Officers (CAOs) of the Hospital Group, linked to the six Medical Schools act as the combined representative voice of the Universities and the Hospital Groups, on Education Training Research and Innovation in Healthcare. Each of the CAOs hold a senior leadership role in both Healthcare and Academia and hence can leverage value between the higher education sector where the majority of Healthcare Professionals are accredited and the clinical care system where the majority receive their training. In bridging the gap between academic discovery, health services research and implementation science the CAOs are positioned to drive policy coherence across sectors that will result in better patient outcomes.

Sláintecare represents the most significant evolution in the delivery of healthcare since the founding of the state. The CAOs recognise Sláintecare cannot be achieved without creation of a research-led health ecosystem in which new knowledge is generated and utilised to inform policy and reform. The CAOs acknowledge that critical to the success of Sláintecare will be development of a Healthcare Workforce competent in transdisciplinary working as the modality through which integrated care and improved patient outcomes will be delivered. As such we welcome the opportunity to align our experience and vision with the evolving  Regional Health Area (RHA) model that will include the Community Healthcare Organisations and Primary Care. We recognize the need to develop Academic Health Science System (AHSS), that will be guided by clear policies to allow University and Health sector integration in the planning and delivery of Healthcare, These agreed policies will be enshrined in memoranda of agreement, that are built on the foundations of Academia – Education, Training, Research, and Innovation (ETRI). The CAOs work with colleagues in all arms of the health sector, medical and other health sciences schools to enhance an academic approach in the hospitals and the community to improve integrated patient care.

The CAO annual report for 2022 outlines a dynamic and wide-ranging work program to engage key stakeholders in the principle aim of developing the AHSS in Ireland. We are encouraged

by the interest and also by significant achievements in 2022 detailed in this report. Key to this success is the close working relationships forged by the seven CAOs through the weekly CAO Group meetings. We welcome a new CAO for the Dublin Midlands Group, Professor Martina Hennessey, and would like to thank Professor Joe Keane, Professor of Medicine, TCD for all his input over the last three years.

As we look to 2023 our focus remains on supporting and implementing actions to ensure ETRI is central to all healthcare developments into the future. A key event for 2023 will be the CAOs National Meeting, cohosted with the Hospital Group CEOs, to highlight and review the benefits and barriers to evolving AHSS in Ireland. The AHSS model leads to improvements in patient outcomes and helps attract and retain highly motivated and well-trained staff.

For further information on the Chief Academic Officer Group, please visit https://www.ucd.ie/healthaffairs/chiefacademicofficergroup/

UCD Health Affairs and Chief Academic Officer Group launch CAO Annual Report 2023

(A PDF version of CAO Annual Report 2023 can be accessed by clicking on the link below)

CAO Annual Report 2023

The HSE move to the Health Region structure and implementation of Slaintecare was planned in 2023, with the changes coming into effect in 2024. This planning phase formed the backdrop to the CAO work in 2023.

In this report, you will find an overview of the work of the CAO group in 2023, including developments, progress, and challenges within the Education and Training of healthcare staff, and Research and Innovation within our healthcare sector. The report also outlines key Engagements and Partnerships of the CAO Group in 2023, some highlights from last year, and key priorities for 2024 -2025.

You are invited to read the report at your convenience and should you require any further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

For further information on the Chief Academic Officer Group, please visit https://www.ucd.ie/healthaffairs/chiefacademicofficergroup/.

UCD Health Affairs

Woodview House, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
T: +353 1 716 3481 | E: health.affairs@ucd.ie