RQIA Review of the implementation of Promoting Quality Care (PQC) Good Practice Guidance on the Assessment and Management of Risk in Mental Health and Learning Disability Services (PDF1.07MB)

Overview Report October 2012

The Implamentation and Evaluation of a Framework Supporting Effective First Contact Care across the Southern Health & Social Services Board (PDF 278 KB)

Interim report on the Southern Health and Social Services Board's Community Nursing Strategy Pilot Project

Guidance on Discharge from Hospital and the Continuing Care in the Community of People with a Mental Disorder who could Represent a Risk of Serious Physical Harm to Themselves or Others (PDF 985 KB)

Guidance on Discharge from Hospital and the Continuing Care in the Community of People with a Mental Disorder who could Represent a Risk of Serious Physical Harm to Themselves or Others

Discharge from Hospital and the Continuing Care in the Community of Mentally Disordered People (PDF 305KB)

Represent a Risk of Serious Physical Harm to Themselves or Others

Report of the National Advisory Committee on Palliative Care

Over thirty years ago, Prof. John Hinton voiced his criticisms of the standard of medical care offered to patients with advanced and life-threatening conditions. In the decades that followed, we have witnessed a remarkable renaissance in terms of our understanding of the needs of patients in the final stages of life. Developments in therapeutics and in our knowledge of pain and symptom management have spearheaded a quiet but very effective revolution. In parallel with developments in medical science, we have developed a much deeper understanding of the complex psychosocial and spiritual needs of patients and their families, as they seek to cope with the pain and suffering associated with progressive and inevitable loss Download the Report here

Report of the National Advisory Committee on Palliative Care

Report of the National Advisory Committee on Palliative Care It is anticipated that the need for palliative care services will increase in coming years. Population projections indicate that between 1996 and 2031 the population aged 65 years and over is expected to more than double. Currently, over 95% of all patients availing of palliative care services suffer from cancer. The number of people dying from cancer is expected to rise in future years, due to the ageing population. Click here to download the document (PDF, 1mb)

Proceedings of the National Conference on the assessment of Older People's Health and Social Care Needs and Preferences

The Conference took place on May 30th, 2002 in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoigaire. It attracted over 250 delegates from across the statutory, voluntary and private sectors and the interest that was expressed in the Conference was indicative of the growing recognition of the importance of establishing a more co-ordinated way of conducting health and social care assessments for older people. The Conference provided the opportunity to both discuss the necessity for a standardised approach to conducting assessments and to explore the merits of establishing a national framework for the multi-disciplinary assessment of older people’s health and social care needs and preferences.   Download document here

Report of the Maternity and Infant Care Scheme Review Group

The Irish service was last reviewed in 1980.  Much of the valuable recommendations made at that time have been given effect.  The present Review Group examined that report and, to the extend that recommendations then made have not been acted upon, incorporated them in this report. The views and rights of mothers were of course paramount in the consideration of the members of the Group and issues of choice, privacy, consent and information were considered and appropriate recommendations made. Download the Report here

Final Report of the Review Group on Health Service Care Staff

The National Health Strategy “Quality and Fairness, Health System for You” states“ a key objective of the human resource framework is to develop and explicitly value staff at all levels of the health system. This in turn benefits service users.” The strategy explicitly states that one of its initiatives was “to introduce the grade of Health Care Assistant (HCA) as a member of healthcare teams to assist and support nurses and midwives. A national six month training programme for Health Care Assistants to commence at the end of November 2001. Seventeen pilot programmes to be delivered by the health services in conjunction with the Further Education Training Awards Council (FETAC)”.

Evaluation of the Irish Pilot Programme for the Education of Health Care Assistants

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Report of Care and Management Sub-Committee of the National AIDS Strategy Committee on HIV/STI Services in Ireland

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Report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Long Term Care, 2006

Report of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Long Term Care, 2006 This report was finalised by the working group at the end of 2005 and submitted to Government in January 2006. While the reportâ?Ts proposals were not formally endorsed by Government, its analysis and recommendations have informed subsequent decisions, including the Fair Deal policy on Long-Term Nursing Home Care.The principles underpinning the report formed the basis for discussions about long term care with the Social Partners prior to the new national programme negotiations leading to a clear vision articulated in Towards 2016 on a number of priority actions to support older people to participate in society in a full and meaningful way. Click here to download PDF 693kb

The report of the Outbreak Control Team of the investigation of an outbreak of listeriosis in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust during May to November 2008

This is the report of the interagency Outbreak Control Team (OCT) of an investigation of an outbreak of listeriosis which occurred during May to November 2008 in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. The report describes the chronology of the outbreak and the outcome of epidemiological, environmental health and microbiological investigations. The report concludes with recommendations for public health, Trusts, the Department of Health and Social Services and Public Safety, the Food Standards Agency, and those responsible for hospital food procurement.

Joint Commissioning Plan of the Health and Social Care Board and the Public Health Agency: 2010-2011

Legislation enacted on 1 April 2009 created a new Commissioning system with the establishment of a region-wide Health and Social Care Board, including 5 Local Commissioning Groups (LCGs), and a Public Health Agency. In line with Departmental direction and guidance the objectives of the new commissioning arrangements were to: - Approach the future delivery of Health and Social Care from a region-wide perspective focused on outcomes. - Ensure local sensitivity through the creation of five Local Commissioning Groups reflective of their areas. - Give appropriate weight to the public health agenda to ensure that commissioning reflects the drive to reduce health inequalities in our society and works in partnership with others to improve health and wellbeing. In this regard the legislation signalled a new way forward which would first be expressed in a Commissioning Plan for 2010/11 and beyond. This plan outlines how the Health and Social Care Board and the Public Health Agency are approaching that task. It is our aim that this plan is straightforward and written in a manner which will encourage public engagement and understanding. We wish to show clearly how the commissioning task is to be approached and to signal the decisions necessary to ensure the maintenance of a health and social care system in Northern Ireland which responds to the population it serves.

A Grounded Theory Model of the Counselling Referral Process in Primary Care Methadone Treatment in Ireland.

In terms of the treatment of illicit drug abuse, methadone maintenance is a well researched and widely applied systematic response. The approach to primary care methadone treatment in Ireland is based on the methadone protocol. Primary care plays a central role in the delivery of methadone treatment. Beginning with a view that a system evolves within the constraints and influencing factors of its context, the aim of this thesis is to model the process that has developed by which patients on primary care methadone treatment are referred to counselling. It investigates the role primary care practitioners perceive they have in relation to managing the psychosocial aspects of the methadone patient's treatment regime. It analyzes individual medical practitioner counselling referral mechanisms to determine what common processes operate across different practitioners. It identifies the factors that influence the use of counselling on primary care methadone programmes and structures these in a cause/effect model. This research used interviews and documentary analysis to acquire grounded data. The sample consisted primarily of medical practitioners involved in the delivery of methadone programmes. Others closely involved in the implementation of drug treatment in the primary care context made up the balance of interviewees. The study used a grounded theory methodology to induce the process that was latent in the grounded data. Concepts emerging were grouped under the headings of referral factors, decision making factors and factors related to the unique positioning of primary care at the interface between medicine and society. The core finding was that, in primary care in Ireland, there is no psychological model to complement the pharmacological intervention of methadone substitution. The findings from this study offer insight into the factors at work and their impacts, in the context of the use of counselling in primary care methadone treatment. The study suggests a possible direction for further evolution of opiate abuse treatment in Ireland which would transform it from a harm reduction to a holistic patient centric paradigm.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.