IRISH NEWS
IRISH news
The latest in nationwide health, medical and emergency services news.
HSE DIGITAL TEAM AWARDED
DELAYS TO CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL QUERIED
The HSE’s Digital Transformation team won two awards and were partners in a further two at the Irish Healthcare Awards held at the end of 2020. The ceremony, which took place online, saw the Digital Team win in the Educational Meeting of the Year category for HSE Digital Academy and Best COVID-19 Response: Public Sector category. They were also associated with two other winners, namely RedZinc Services, who won Best COVID-19 Response Private Sector for their video consultation initiative, and Patient MPower, which helped to monitor patients in their own homes. Speaking at the awards, Professor Martin Curley, Director of HSE Digital Transformation said: “We are thrilled with this national recognition for our efforts in aligning the digital health ecosystem and the co-delivery of important digital solutions in response to COVID-19. The recognition encourages us to redouble our efforts to lead and catalyse digital transformation of our health system.
Members of the Children’s Health Ireland board have undertaken an in-depth analysis of further possible delays to the construction of the New Children’s Hospital and raised concerns over the impact of further delays on staff morale. They have written to the Minister for Health to express these concerns, “outlining the concerns in relation to the impact of delays on the delivery of services. In November, the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) Chief Officer Mr David Gunning told the Oireachtas committee on health there were “considerable pressures” on the construction budget for the completion of the NCH, and it was subsequently reported that Mr Gunning said the completion date of August 2022 would not be met, but a new completion date could not be provided
CALL FOR AIR CORP SEARCH AND RESCUE ROLE The Government has been urged by a group of aviation experts and a number of Oireachtas members to give the Air Corps a role in Ireland’s search and rescue services. A new search and rescue aviation contract is currently being developed, but Minister for Defence Simon Coveney says he does not expect the Air Corps to have full responsibility for these services in future contracts. However, he has stated that he does want it to be as involved as it possibly can be. Gerard Craughwell, Independent
Senator and chair of Secure Ireland’s Search and Rescue (SISAR), said the group wants to “solidify” the Air Corp’s involvement in these services. “While there has been a contract for operating the helicopter side of search and rescue over the last ten years, the Irish Air Corps were on an available basis for top cover, which is a communications link between the helicopter and mainland,” he told national radio. He added that the State has recently spent €260million on new aircraft, while
pilots have been recommissioned into the Air Corps and the expertise is there to provide full, on contract top cover once resources are made available, as well as for search and rescue helicopters to be used on the east coast. Mr Craughwell added that this service provision should be put on a formal footing similar to the air ambulance and Garda helicopter services, which would allow for a rostered service where air search and rescue would be on standby and available 24/7 and 365 days a year.
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