Monday 2 December 2019 - Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) has today unveiled a new corporate strategy “People Caring for People to Live Better Lives” - a five year blueprint for the development of patient-focused services that recognises both the importance of the patient and the people involved in treating and caring for them within the Hospital setting and beyond.
The new strategic plan commits to addressing six areas of strategic priority over the next five years:
Good Access
Highly Integrated Care
Enhanced Infrastructure
Digital Enablement
Research & Innovation
People
The Chief Executive of TUH, Lucy Nugent says People Caring for People to Live Better Lives” recognises the patient and those providing their care, but also recognises the changing direction of health care provision across the country in respect of new infrastructure requirements, more community-based services and increased reliance on innovation, technology and research-led care.
Ms Nugent says notwithstanding the challenging funding backdrop, TUH continues to make very positive strides on all these fronts, and that TUH is determined to deliver concrete actions in particular to improve waiting times over the lifetime of the strategy.
“We are making six very clear and measurable commitments to improve patient access and to address ED wait times, as well as waiting lists in respect of inpatient, day case, outpatient, endoscopy and diagnostics. We will achieve this by improving patient flow processes, introducing new innovations in models of care, making targeted capacity investments and increasing and better use of technology to manage care more effectively.”
Access is just one of six of our inter-related priorities within this Plan. For example, developing integrated care will also assist in improving access. We have done a lot in recent years to deliver more community-based services and making sure that the acute, primary, community and social care settings are properly utilised as well as placing a greater focus on preventative (wellness) rather than curative (illness) initiatives. Technology, and innovation will all be central in progressing this agenda as well as TUH-based research initiatives to support this work. We also collaborate really well with our external partners such as the HSE’s Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, Community Health Organisation 7 as well as our local GP network and many other community groups and services in our catchment- and this is only going to become a bigger part of what we do over the next five years.
Chairman of the Board of TUH, Mr Liam Dowdall, says rapid demographic change in the area means the Corporate Strategy needs to be ambitious for the future. “The Tallaght University Hospital catchment area will see rapid population growth in the coming years and the community is also aging – so people’s health needs are both growing and changing, and the Hospital must plan accordingly. This strategy has an ambitious infrastructure programme aimed at enhancing integrated care and improving diagnostic capacity both at Hospital and community level. This includes the new renal unit currently under construction. Pending future government approval, we have a range of planned new developments in the pipeline including a new 12- bed ICU, a 72-bed inpatient care wing; off-site surgery at Tallaght Cross (four theatres and 22 day beds); a six bed older person’s ward; further acute care facilities; as well as laboratory expansion; new community radiology services; and cardiology, radiology and endoscopy expansion projects here at the Hospital. I commend the CEO for the work she has done in setting out the Hospital’s ambitions over the next five years and the Board will work with her to assist in its rollout”
Speaking at today’s launch event Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katharine Zappone, said it was a really important day for the Hospital – “I very much welcome today’s publication of the Tallaght University Hospital Strategy. TUH is one of largest teaching Hospitals in the country with a catchment of 650,000 people and last year dealt with over 420,000 patient care incidents. This catchment population alone will grow by 163% over the next 16 years. So, the Hospital must rightly plan for future demographic growth and change. I want to acknowledge the dynamic leadership of CEO Lucy Nugent and her executive team as well as the Hospital Board and Chairman Liam Dowdall, and in particular the over 3000 people who work here. The Hospital excels nationally in so many areas, not least in the important area of patient advocacy. I commend the executive team and staff for all these amazing achievements and wish them well with the implementation of this strategy.”
The new plan will be reviewed on an annual basis and the Board of TUH will be provided with regular progress updates over the course of its rollout and implementation.
Clinical Director Professor Paul Ridgway welcomed the publication of the new strategy “This is an important statement of intent by the executive and Board of Tallaght University Hospital and it recognises the important contribution of the excellent clinicians, nursing staff and health care professionals working, learning and conducting research here on a 24-7 basis, 365 days a year. Our clinical leadership team looks forward to working positively with the senior management team in helping realise and progress this ambitious plan to help our patients to live better. ”
You can access a copy of the strategy via this link.
About Tallaght University Hospital
TUH is one of Ireland’s largest acute teaching hospitals, adult, psychiatric and age-related healthcare on one site. The Hospital has 495 adult beds with 3,000 people on staff. The Hospital is a provider of local, regional and national specialties. It is also a national urology centre, the second largest provider of dialysis services in the country and a regional orthopaedic trauma centre. The Hospital also has 67 paediatric beds under the governance of Children’s Health Ireland and 52 mental health beds under HSE governance.
TUH is one of the two main teaching hospitals of Trinity College Dublin - specialising in the training and professional development of staff in areas such as nursing, health and social care professionals, emergency medicine and surgery, amongst many others. TUH 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 TUH 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 51,084 Adult Attendance and 32,424 Paediatric Attendance in 2018. A further 293,751 patients were treated through the Hospital’s Adult and Paediatric outpatient clinics in 2018. The Hospital’s operations are supported by 200 general practitioners in surrounding communities and aligned with CHO7.
