Croke Park, on a grey morning (February 6th), was buzzing with conference attendees, including CHPM's Sara, Luisne and Veronica, drinking coffee and looking forward to a day of presentations and discussion on all things health.
Two keynote speakers spoke about the importance of long-term investment in healthcare, focusing on prevention and incorporation of health in all public policies, to address the needs of the population both now and in the future.
Panel discussions followed focusing on the importance of public health, public awareness and the value of early engagement and information sharing around women's health in particular.
The conference then split into three streams: Stream 2 began with CHPM friend Sara Reed from the Nuffield Trust, UK, presenting on non-acute and community health and care services, followed by the Centre's own Professor Sara Burke, presenting on the importance of getting the governance right as the HSE Health Regions come into their own (Access research via one of these links: The role of governance in shaping health system reform: a case study of the design and implementation of new health regions in Ireland, 2018–2023 | BMC Health Services Research | Full Text or using the DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11048-2 ).
Panel discussions followed on digitalising home and community care and the need to upskill the general health workforce, through for example, micro-credential courses delivered by TCD. The stream finished with a session on how Ireland can become a healthier nation.
After lunch we listened to two panel sessions on the digital future for Ireland's healthcare system: the first focusing on using healthcare data to identify major risk factors in the population, and the second panel discussing the delivery of an Electronic Health Record. Bernard Gloster, CEO of the HSE, took to the stage for a fireside chat and the day ended with a panel discussion on healthcare resilience and how we respond to future threats.
A good day was had by all!