National Clinical Care Programmes
In 2016 the key actions for the Acute Hospital Division included a range of measures encouraged by the National Clinical Strategy and Programmes to develop Integrated Care Programmes (ICP). These ICPs are key to service delivery and reform and collectively they have been a catalyst for significant improvements in the delivery of care. This work is continuing and clinical models of care will be further enhanced to improve quality and to promote an integrated approach to patient flow, chronic disease management, and prioritising service enhancements to address demographic pressures.
Our Clinical Care Measures at CUH
CUH is an approved site for the implementation for the following Care Programmes:
• Acute Medicine Programme (Phase 1 & Phase 2 completed)
• Emergency Medicine Programme (in progress)
• Elective Surgery Programme (implemented)
• Diabetes Programme (Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme) (implemented)
• Stroke Programme (completed)
• Trauma & Orthopaedic Programme
• Heart Failure Programme (in progress)
• Epilepsy Programme (completed)
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Programme (COPD) (completed)
• Asthma Programme (in progress)
• Epilepsy Programme (completed)
• Outpatient Programme (in progress)
• Critical Care Programme (in progress)
• Sepsis Programme (completed)
CUH Cancer Centre
In line with the National Cancer Forum, Cork University Hospital is committed to responding to the priority that needs to be given to advances in cancer care as set out in the second National Cancer Strategy A Strategy for Cancer Control in Ireland 2006, a vision of an Ireland that will have a system of cancer control to reduce cancer incidence, morbidity and mortality rates, relative to other EU countries.
Cork University Hospital is designated as one of 8 Cancer Centres and the purposely designed Cancer Centre was completed in November 2009 and provides high quality evidence based cancer care in accordance with the standard set by the National Cancer Control Programme and HIQA.
Services provided in the Cancer Centre include:
• Symptomatic Breast Service;
• Dedicated Breast Service Family History Clinic;
• Rapid access Prostate Service;
• Rapid Access Thoracic Lung service;
• Rapid Access Colorectal Service – delivered by Advanced Nurse Practitioner.
The services are governed by National Key Performance Indicators used to measures patient access, care and treatment delivery against pre-determined standards. Data is returned on a monthly basis to the National Cancer Control Programme and is used to measure outcomes and inform service improvements. Staff in the centre are committed to improving patient care for their patients and have completed a number of initiatives that have improved the quality of patient services.
Lung Cancer Survivorship Programme
The purpose of this programme was to determine whether quality of life and exercise tolerance can be improved following a six week exercise and education programme for survivors of Lung cancer. The results of this programme were presented at a national oncology conference and lung cancer forum and other cancer centres are interested in running this programme.