(September 1st 2015) An exciting new chapter in the long-standing relationship between Tallaght Hospital and Trinity College Dublin has being signalled today with the signing of a formal Memorandum of Understanding to further enhance the education and professional development links between both bodies.
The development will see a strengthening of current arrangements between Tallaght and Trinity in the areas of undergraduate and post-graduate training, education, research and professional development in Pharmacy. The move will underpin Tallaght Hospital’s standing as an established leader in the provision of training and professional development within pharmacy, particularly at a time when the sector is facing significant change.
Speaking at a special signing ceremony at Tallaght Hospital, Deputy CEO Sarah McMickan said “Our primary mission at Tallaght Hospital is to provide excellent patient care and to deliver this we need top class staff, educated and trained to the highest standards. As one of the country’s main teaching hospitals, we have a long established link with Trinity College at both under graduate and post graduate level in both medicine and pharmacy. This is central to our commitment to deliver clinical excellence across all our services. Our pharmacy links with Trinity span almost 34 years and extend to training, education, research and professional development programmes. We are delighted to formalise this long standing and highly positive relationship through the establishment of an official Memorandum of Understanding and it is a source of great pride that we see 12 members of the pharmacy team at Tallaght Hospital today being awarded academic titles from Trinity as part of this process. In congratulating the team, can I say it is our strong desire to see the relationship between both organisations flourish and to continue producing innovators, scientists and practitioners who are driven by a common desire to serve patients better into the future.“
Welcoming the signing of a formal MOU and speaking also at today’s event, the Provost of Trinity College, Dr Patrick Prendergast, said the development would be of great mutual benefit to both institutions: “This partnership will further build on long standing links between Trinity’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Tallaght Hospital. It will forge its cooperation in teaching and research and provide an excellent environment for undergraduate and postgraduate education in Pharmacy.The Pharmacy Department in Tallaght is at the forefront of developments in education, research and clinical services. With our new five-year integrated pharmacy programme commencing this month, input from practitioners with both clinical and research expertise will be invaluable in ensuring our students are best prepared for current and future pharmacist roles. It will enable pharmacy students to get the very best of experience in one of the country’s busiest hospital pharmacies but it is also one that is recognised as being highly innovative.”
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Notes for Editors
Teaching Highlights
1991 - Tim Delaney from the Adelaide Hospital Pharmacy Dept and Martin Henman of Trinity commence the new hospital elective with pharmacy students. Pharmacy staff members have been delivering undergraduate patient contact sessions and the hospital elective ever since.
1996 - TCD MSc in Hospital Pharmacy postgraduate programme for pharmacists established – 2-3 pharmacists on each intake of the two year programme; 19 graduates through the programme to date. Staff members give huge input to the MSc course as rotational tutors on in-hospital rotations plus lecturers on the programme.
2006 - Tallaght Hospital appoints Evelyn Deasy as Education and Research Manager for the Pharmacy Department in 2000 and as Adjunct Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy in 2006, cementing the Department’s strong commitment to teaching and research in pharmacy practice.
2013 - TCD Cardiology in Clinical Practice Module for practising pharmacists developed.
Research Highlights
2002 - Professor Stephen Byrne, now Head of School in Pharmacy in UCC, was first PhD graduate
2000 - Joint Pharmacokinetic research group established - set up by Professor Owen Corrigan, Dr. Maria Donnelly and the pharmacy department.
2009 - Appointment of Dr. Tamasine Grimes as Research pharmacist in 2009
2010 - Appointment of Dr. Tamasine Grimes as Associate Professor in Pharmacy Practice in TCD
New Teaching Posts for Tallaght Hospital Pharmacy Staff
Clinical Lecturer: Carol O’Brady, Ciara Mc Manamly, Fiona Begley, Joan McGillycuddy, Louise Byrne, Niamh Kilcullen, Philomena O’Byrne
Adjunct Associate Professor: Tim Delaney
Adjunct Assistant Professor: John O’Byrne
Clinical Tutor: Jane Strong
Existing Poster Holders
Clinical Lecturer: Dawn Davin
Associate Professor: Dr. Tamasine Grimes
Adjunct Assistant Professor: Evelyn Deasy
About Tallaght Hospital
Tallaght Hospital, incorporating the National Children’s Hospital, is one of Ireland’s largest acute teaching hospitals, providing child-health, adult, psychiatric and age-related healthcare on one site. The hospital has 625 beds and employs almost 3,000 staff. The Hospital is a provider of local, regional and national specialities. It is also a national urology centre, the second largest provider of dialysis services in the country and a regional orthopaedic trauma centre. It also operates one of the largest and busiest hospital pharmacies in the country.
Tallaght Hospital is one of two main teaching hospitals of the Trinity College Dublin - specialising in the training and professional development of staff in areas such as nursing, emergency medicine and surgery, amongst many others. Tallaght Hospital is part of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group which serves a population of over 1.2 million across seven counties. A new satellite centre is to be built at Tallaght Hospital as part of the National Children’s Hospital project as a key element of an integrated clinical network for paediatric services nationally.
The hospital’s Emergency Departments catered for 44,640 Adult ED Attendances and 31,934 Paediatric Attendances in 2014. A further 263,929 patients were treated through hospital clinics in 2014. The hospital’s operations are supported by a community of 300 general practitioners in surrounding communities.
