Quality Assurance Standards for Symptomatic Breast Disease Services

Quality Assurance Standards for Symptomatic Breast Disease Services People in Ireland have a right to expect that medical care be of good quality. They expect that standards of care are consistently high. They expect that access to care is easy, speedy, effective and efficient. Society expects quality of care to measure up to international norms of good practice. Such assurance can be given by auditing the quality of activity. Click here to download PDF 606kb

Building a Culture of Patient Safety - Report of the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance

The Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance was established in January 2007 and reported to the Minister in July 2008. The report was considered by government in January 2009 which agreed the implementation process. The overall objective of the Commission was to develop clear and practical recommendations to ensure that safety and quality of care for patients is paramount within the healthcare system. The Commission’s report set out a wide range of policy measures that will drive the safety and quality agenda in Irish healthcare in the coming years. The establishment of the Commission was prompted by an increasing awareness of patient safety issues in general and high profile health service system failures at home and abroad and in particular by the Lourdes Hospital Inquiry. These have underlined the need for an increased focus on patient safety and quality. Download document here Download summary document on the Report

First Quarterly Progress Report of the Implementation Steering Group on recommendations of the Report of the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance

First Quarterly Progress Report of the Implementation Steering Group on recommendations of the Report of the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance Click here to download PDF 56kb

Final Report of the Implementation Steering Group (ISG) on the recommendations of the Report of the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance

Final Report of the Implementation Steering Group (ISG) on the recommendations of the Report of the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance Click here to download PDF 235KB

Amalgamation of Qualifications and Quality Assurance Bodies - Consultation Paper on Implementation (May 2009)

Amalgamation of Qualifications and Quality Assurance Bodies - Consultation Paper on Implementation (May 2009). Provided by the Department of Education and Skills, Ireland.

S�_�_olta - Final Report on the Development and Implementation of the S�_�_olta Quality Assurance Programme

This report provides an overview of the development and field testing of the S�_olta Quality Assurance Programme (QAP). It outlines the timeline, key roles and activities and draws upon evaluation data gathered at various stages of the action research and development process. It briefly describes the processes, tools, materials and the professional roles that have been developed to support implementation of the S�_olta QAP. It concludes with consideration of the context within which the S�_olta QAP will operate into the future and makes a set of recommendations to connect this research and development phase for S�_olta and the S�_olta QAP with national and international policy developments related to the improvement of the quality of early childhood care and education (ecce) in Ireland.

Strategy for Cancer Control in Ireland

A Strategy for Cancer Control in Ireland June 2006 The Strategy was prepared by the National Cancer Forum and makes recommendations in relation to the organisation, governance, quality assurance and accreditation of all aspects of cancer care. View the report as a PDF Published: June 2006  

National Clinical Effectiveness Committee (NCEC) Annual Report 2013

This first Annual Report of the NCEC outlines the activity of NCEC and provides information on the development for the first time in Ireland processes for prioritisation and quality assurance of National Clinical Guidelines. The Annual Report sets the agenda for NCEC going forward in line with its terms of reference. Of note two National Clinical Guidelines were quality assured by NCEC and endorsed by the Minister for Health in 2013. These are National Clinical Guideline No. 1 – National Early Warning Score and National Clinical Guideline No. 2 – Prevention and Control Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The implementation of National Clinical Guidelines is a significant patient quality and safety initiative and will improve health outcomes for patients, reduce variation in practice and improve the quality of clinical decisions. Quality assured National Clinical Guidelines will help to further improve the quality, safety and cost effectiveness of healthcare across Ireland. Download the Report  

Soilse annual review 2010.

Soilse, the HSE addiction rehabilitation programme in Dublin North Central, experienced another challenging year in 2010. However, despite budget constraints and logistical and building difficulties, we prioritised the needs of recovering drug abusers with considerable success. Throughout the year, we had enquiries, referrals, programme uptake and successful outcomes. In terms of addiction, the problems are as enduring as ever with complex needs and limited progression opportunities. The rehabilitation strategy published in 2007 has had no practical effect. Yet Soilse saw a clear and positive impact from our work in terms of: stabilising service users; achieving detox; encouraging participants to move from our prescribed medication to our drugfree service; and consolidating these outcomes. Our evidence base continually validates our approach with people who want to become independent of services being facilitated to do so. Soilse did well in 2010 in terms of educational and vocational outcomes, particularly through FETAC but also through comprehensive care planning. We faced protracted difficulties as a result of the staff moratorium and budget cuts, but continued to deliver a professional service, keeping morale and performance high. Our service is based on the following practice standards: holistic assessment care planning care management interagency work quality assurance, and customer service involvementThis resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Internationalisation of Irish Education Services Report of Interdepartmental Working Group

Following Government approval of a proposal by the Minister for Education and Science, an interdepartmental group was established with the remit of considering the question of the ‘Internationalisation’ of Irish education services. Issues that arose in the context of the group’s work include quality assurance, immigration and visa issues and abuse of the system, need for better regulation, future marketing and promotion arrangements, academic and institutional supports for international students and scholarships.

Review of Ireland's International Education Strategy 2013 - consultation Paper

Investing in Global Relationships: Ireland’s International Education Strategy 2010 – 2015 was published in September 2010. Significant progress has been made in implementing this strategy, to complement and support the work undertaken at institutional level: - A strong national brand is now in place: Education in Ireland, managed by Enterprise Ireland. - There is much closer alignment between education and immigration policies. - A new Government of Ireland Scholarship has been established, managed by the Higher Education Authority. - An International Education Marketing Fund has been developed which allows institutions to collaborate in Enterprise Ireland- led national marketing initiatives. - Promotional efforts are taking place in the priority markets of the USA, Brazil, China, India, SE Asia and the Gulf. Ministers have visited each of the priority markets in the last two years. - Ireland is participating at national level in major international scholarship schemes such as Science Without Borders (Brazil) and the King Abdullah Scholarship Programme (Saudi Arabia). - Statutory provision is now in place for an international education mark and code of practice, which will be rolled out in 2014 by Qualifications and Quality Assurance Ireland (QQI). - International student numbers have risen in priority sectors: 14% growth in the English language sector and 9% growth in higher education since 2010. - Ireland’s international education offering has also diversified, including with increasingly significant levels of cross- border provision. However, global demand for education continues to change rapidly. There continues to be a massive expansion in demand for education around the world, particularly in emerging markets with growing middle classes.