The Partnership for Health Equity (PHE) Limerick Clinic www.healthequity.ie/#!limerick-video/dasf5 received 'Highly Commended' in the recent HSE Health Excellence Awards.

​

Dr Patrick O’ Donnell who runs the Limerick Clinic credits its success to the close collaboration of the members of the PHE (HSE, UL GEMS & NDCGP) with local statutory and voluntary agencies including  Ana Liffey, St Vincent de Paul and the Limerick Homeless Action Team. Patrick also pointed to the instrumental support from Safetynet and a grant from the Hospital Saturday Fund UK. “All of these bodies combined have allowed us to do our job to the best of our ability in our attempt to try and improve primary care for the most marginalised in our city” he says.

​

"The Health Service Excellence Awards 2016 are designed to identify, recognise the real value we place on excellence and innovation across all of our health service. The Awards process enabled us to identify great service developments that can be shared and implemented, as appropriate, in different parts of our health system", Tony O'Brien, DG of the HSE.

​

The award for Overall Best Project was presented to the Ophthalmology Service being delivered by Sligo University Hospital and Sligo, Leitrim and West Cavan Community Health Organisation. The Ophthalmology Service in Sligo University Hospital joined forces with colleagues working in the community to create an improved model of care for patients.

​

Seven projects were selected to compete to be the Overall Winner of the 2016 Health Service Excellence Awards. Teams representing the final seven projects attended today’s Awards Ceremony in Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.  The final seven projects were selected from an original entry of 426 projects.  They were chosen by the Selection Panel after 39 projects were invited to make presentations detailing their projects aims and objectives.

​

Highly Commended

In addition to the final seven projects another seven projects were ‘Highly Commended’ by the Selection Panel. Although these projects did not make the final seven the Selection Panel felt they were of such a high standard that they deserved to be Highly Commended. We were delighted to receive a Highly Commended certificate for the Partnership for Health Equity (PHE) Clinics in Limerick City.  Also among the 14 highly commended projects was the Safetynet Addiction Service – ‘Bringing Methadone Treatment to Homeless People’ . The Donegal Social Prescribing for Health and Wellbeing Project which appeared as an original article in Issue 1 of Health E Quality was also selected as a ‘Highly Commended’ Project.

​

The Safetynet Mobile Health Unit was also selected among 39 of 426 projects entered, invited to make presentations detailing their projects aims and objectives.

​

The fact that so many projects which aimed at social inclusion and health equity did so well is encouraging, demonstrating the will to make equal access to good quality care and services a reality for all in the State.

​

For more information on the health excellence awards see: www.hse.ie/eng/staff/HealthServiceExcellenceAwards2016/