The HSE Bright Spark Awards is an initiative that recognises innovative projects that have improved patient care or service delivery in Ireland.
Every year, at Spark Summit, we highlight and honour project teams that have delivered excellence in the Irish healthcare system.
Bright Spark National Innovation Awards 2024
Nursing and midwifery award: Muma Postnatal Hub
Amy Carroll, ADOM - St Luke's General Hospital
Muma Postnatal Hub aims to tackle the high levels of physical and mental postpartum morbidity through a structured, multidisciplinary support service to mothers, their babies, and partners. It was developed using human-centred design and will continue to incorporate user feedback as it evolves. Through early intervention for those experiencing post-birth challenges, this midwifery service supports mothers via phone and social media as well as through physical contact such as assessments, feeding sessions, or coffee groups. The core hub in St Luke’s General Hospital and its outreach clinics offer midwifery services seven days a week.
This safe, inclusive, and accessible space offers a responsive and proactive service based on individual needs. Most mothers have multiple direct contacts with the hub over the six months after birth (or longer if needed). In March 2023, the hub saw 110 mothers and provided 274 touchpoints. 74 stories were posted on Instagram and 16 mothers attended the ‘Check, Chat and Coffee’ meeting. The inclusion of direct access to specialist women’s health physiotherapists has markedly improved physical recovery outcomes. The effectiveness and importance of the postnatal care delivered is reflected in reports from many mothers that, without it, they would have instead consulted their GP.
Best digital project award: CARE - community and acute respiratory excellence for COPD patients in Donegal
Antoinette Doherty, ANP - CHO 1
Hospital (re)admission rates for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are very high, despite the disease being both preventable and treatable. In fact, COPD hospital care costs in Ireland rise to €90 million annually. Letterkenny University Hospital has the highest national COPD readmission rate within 30 days of discharge. To combat this, the CARE project introduced a 20-bed Community Virtual Ward (CVW) with continuous respiratory rate (cRR) monitoring. This innovative solution allows patients to self-manage their condition at home while receiving optimised care through a digital platform. CARE integrates real-time monitoring, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, and patient education.
The collaborative approach between primary and secondary care aims to empower patients, reduce hospital admissions, and improve overall management of this condition. This alternative COPD care pathway pilot has yielded significant positive outcomes. Patients in this pilot have been able to manage their condition at home, leading to a 100% hospital avoidance rate. The average cost per patient decreased from €19,384 to €3,376. Key patient-reported improvements include a 29.1% increase in self-management, a 35.3% increase in understanding of COPD, and an increase of 0.15 quality-adjusted life years (QALY). Additionally, the project achieved a 36% reduction in readmission rates, a 27% reduction in hospital discharges with COPD diagnosis, and the avoidance of 53 emergency department attendances.
NDTP doctors award: H-BOP: home-based ocular perfusion pressure monitoring
Brian Woods, NCHD - Ophthalmology Department, Galway University Hospital
Traditional glaucoma clinics measure ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) to assess eye health through one-off checks every 3 to 9 months. However, this approach overlooks fluctuations in intraocular pressure (IOP) and fails to account for the interaction between systemic blood pressure (BP) and IOP. The Home-Based Ocular Perfusion Pressure (H-BOP) monitoring system combines home IOP tonometry and wrist-based blood pressure monitoring, allowing for longitudinal monitoring of both IOP and BP to provide more accurate estimates of OPP. Patients and doctors can consequently optimise medication timing and glaucoma progression can be more easily identified.
Initial results from the H-BOP pilot study show promising outcomes in empowering patients and doctors to understand fluctuations in OPP. By identifying periods of decreased OPP, the system facilitates better timing of blood pressure-lowering and intraocular pressure-lowering medications, potentially reducing the risk of glaucoma progression. Additionally, the system has the potential to differentiate between patients with ocular hypertension and those with early glaucoma, paving the way for more tailored treatment interventions.
Best service improvement award: Fast-track process for maternity registrations, benefitting patients and staff
Esmé Denvir, Head of Patient Services -The Coombe Hospital
The traditional paper-based registration process for maternity services at Coombe Hospital posed numerous challenges. Time-consuming manual data entry resulted in delays to patient care and the risk of errors or missing data. This impacted staff morale and led to patient complaints. A web-based maternity registration form was introduced to allow patients to submit their information, successfully streamlining the process, reducing manual tasks for staff, and improving efficiency.
Adoption of the digital form in December 2022 resulted in a significant improvement in the registration process at Coombe Hospital. In 2023, 98.8% of patients (5,748) opted for the web-based form, leading to a marked reduction in turnaround time for appointments (from 5 to 7 days to just 2 to 3 days). Positive feedback from patients highlighted the ease of use and timely appointment notifications. Staff productivity increased, due to both the reduction in manual tasks and the improvement in patient data accuracy. This initiative not only enhanced patient experience but also improved operational efficiency within the hospital, demonstrating the tangible benefits of embracing digital solutions in healthcare administration.
Best use of innovative technology: Care Companion
Jackie Bryan & John Sheridan - Milford Care Centre
Patients with complex neurological disorders face difficulties using traditional hand-activated call bells, which impacts their ability to seek assistance. The Care Companion is a novel call bell system featuring a wide surface paddle that is sensitive to minimal contact by the patient. Patients can summon help easily, which gives them a sense of safety, security, and independence. The solution has been developed as a plug and play kit that can be modified by hospital innovation teams and then 3D printed as required
Implementing the Care Companion in the palliative care setting has had significant outcomes, with some patients experiencing life-changing improvements in their quality of life. The innovative call bell system has successfully addressed the challenges faced by patients with complex neurological conditions, providing them with a reliable means of calling for assistance. The customisable kit can now enhance patient care and autonomy in any healthcare setting. Care Companion comprises digital files, circuit boards, cables, and an interface box and can be implemented without any electrical expertise.
Best patient access award: Breathe easy, beat strong - a unified approach to cardiopulmonary disorders
Dr Lavanya Saiva, Consultant Cardiologist and Dr Abirami Subramaniam Consultant Respiratory Physician - Connolly Hospital and Dublin Northwest Integrated Centre, CHO9
There are shared risk factors, demographics, symptoms, and pathophysiology in patients with cardiovascular disease and obstructive pulmonary disease, which require comprehensive and integrated care. Fragmented care delivery can lead to prolonged waiting times and disease progression. This project established a joint clinic model, integrating cardiology and respiratory teams, to provide a proactive care model in a community setting. Streamlining diagnosis and treatment through efficient triage processes and interdisciplinary collaboration improves patient outcomes and enhances the overall quality of care for individuals with cardiopulmonary disorders.
The pilot community-based cardiorespiratory clinic provides timely specialist access, reducing waiting times from 18 months to 3 months and the number of appointment visits per patient from 6 to 2 (resulting in savings of €33,200). Early diagnosis and effective intervention have led to better disease management, resulting in fewer ED presentations or hospital admissions, a saving of 187 inpatient bed days (or Є239,173). In addition, the reduction in travel time for patients equals a carbon saving of 906.085 kg CO2e per km (or 5 return flights from Dublin to Amsterdam). Efficient patient management and improved overall experience have been confirmed by positive feedback from patients and their families.
HSCP award: Advanced Practice Occupational Therapy - APOT-led integrated hand and wrist clinic
Michelle O'Donnell and Olga Hill, Clinical Specialists OT - St James's Hospital
In 2022, over 600,000 patients were waiting for their first scheduled acute hospital outpatient consultation. This pilot created a modernised care pathway, providing GP-referred patients with direct access to specialist occupational health care in a primary care setting. This engagement between St James’s Hospital and community networks 4,8, and 9 means that patients with hand and wrist pathologies including carpal tunnel syndrome, De Quervain's or ganglion cysts benefit from reduced waiting times, fewer unnecessary hospital attendances, and improved overall outcomes.
Since its inception, the clinic has successfully seen 255 new patients, 77% within 9 weeks. Patient satisfaction has been consistently high, with 100% satisfaction reported across all domains in service user evaluations. Additionally, the clinic has significantly reduced waiting times for secondary care referrals and has streamlined the patient pathway, leading to more efficient management of hand and wrist pathology. The engagement from GPs in referring patients to the clinic has been high, with an average of 6 new referrals received each week. This type of pathway has the potential to transform care delivery for individuals with hand and wrist conditions across Ireland.
Best employee focussed award: Great minds don't think alike
Pauline Chapman, Clinical Placement Coordinators - CHO 3
There is a lack of training or resources to help preceptors (student nurse mentors) support neurodiverse nursing students during their clinical placements, as revealed by a survey showing that 95% of preceptors needed more information or advice in this area. This project developed and delivered an education session to a small group of preceptors, which confirmed the necessity of bespoke training and received a very positive reception.
The next stage of this initiative will be to create a series of 3 to 4 short educational videos, each about 3 minutes long, to be distributed via WhatsApp. These videos will provide information and supportive strategies for preceptoring neurodiverse students effectively, ensuring that preceptors have access to the resources they need in a convenient and timely manner. Subsequently, the project aims to organise a national conference, held in 2025, to expand collective knowledge of this area and develop a community of peers working to create neuroinclusive clinical environments.
Best hospital avoidance award: Avoiding ED - ANP chest pain assessment in the community
Shirley Ingram, ANP - Tallaght University Hospital, Cardiology Nursing Department
Chest pain is a principal presenting symptom of coronary heart disease. Tallaght University Hospital’s emergency department (ED) sees over 5,000 annual presentations. Many patients referred by GPs to the ED for non-acute chest pain are low risk, leading to long waiting times and overcrowding. To provide an alternative avenue for non-acute chest pain assessment, this project created an integrated community chest pain clinic led by an advanced nurse practitioner (ANP). GPs refer patients directly to the ANP, who performs advanced health assessments and manages care autonomously, reducing unnecessary ED visits and providing timely, specialist care in the community.
Since its inception, the integrated community chest pain clinic has significantly reduced the strain on the hospital’s ED. Over three years, 259 GPs referred 1,186 patients to the clinic instead of the ED, with 1,696 episodes of care provided. Approximately 65% of patients were discharged after two appointments, and 60% were managed autonomously by the ANP. GP chest pain referrals to the ED decreased by 1% annually, despite a 4% increase in overall chest pain presentations to the ED. An audit of 132 patients showed no subsequent ED visits for cardiac chest pain, underscoring the clinic's effectiveness and safety. Patient feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, emphasising confidence in ANP assessments and the benefits of integrated care.
Best data informed project award: Qualytics
Sinead Brosnan, SLT Manager - Cork University Hospital
Excellence in healthcare is shaped by reliable data. A lack of qualitative data specific to health and social care professionals (HSCP) hampers efforts to enhance acute care pathways, develop HSCP standards, and ensure equitable care. Existing systems are primarily focused on quantitative data and involve paper-based data collection which is then manually transferred to Excel spreadsheets. This project involves the digitisation of HSCP data through a bespoke digital platform, enabling reliable data collation and analytics.
This digital solution aims to improve the quality of patient care and outcomes by providing robust, reliable data to optimise care pathways, standardise care, and support clinical audits. The initiative has enhanced performance metrics and provided objective data demonstrating the value and return on investment of HSCP resources. Improved data quality has facilitated better patient outcomes and customer satisfaction. Aligning with value-driven care, this data will facilitate health economic evaluations, identify cost savings, improve patient experience times, and reduce congestion in the healthcare system.
Best design led: Augmenting the reach of national patient safety alerts
Rachel McNamara, Public Health SPR - CHO 3
This action design research project aimed to evaluate the dissemination process and expand the reach of the HSE National Patient Safety Alerts (NPSAs) to all areas of the health system. These alerts are generated under the National Quality and Patient Safety Directorate (NQPSD) in response to adverse incidents, new evidence etc. Multiple stakeholder engagement meetings were held with patient safety leads across NQPSD. Interviews were conducted with local patient safety officers, elucidating their experience in managing NPSAs and challenges that they encountered distributing alerts to staff.
Several pain points were identified. The relevance of each NPSA was not clear to every institution and there was a lack of clarity around who was responsible for implementing the recommendations of the alert. Duplication of alert receipt was taking place, and the sole use of email was unlikely to reach many frontline staff. A new template for the NPSAs was developed which was clear, instantly recognisable and visually alarming. A Digital Communications Toolkit was developed to allow dissemination in multiple formats including messenger app and PowerPoint. The Local Action Plan for distribution was augmented to clarify implementation and validation roles. The new format alert has been in use since October 2023.
Best productivity award: Redesigning the nurse assessment form to release time to care
Julie Grennell, Project Manager - Mater Misericordiae University Hospital
The Nursing Assessment form is a document that informs care for the 25,000 plus patients that are admitted to the Mater each year. The form is used to tell the story of the patient on admission to nurses on the ward, so the risk of miscommunication could have a direct impact on the patient. The existing form was 19 pages long and was cumbersome to complete as well as to read. The layout lacked an intuitive flow making it difficult for nurses to find the information they needed. This led to the form not being filled out correctly. It also made it difficult for the nurse to get a holistic sense of the patient.
Through a design process, the team reduced this form from 19 pages down to 5, and drastically improved the layout, hierarchy, and flow of the document. The new form saves time, as well as improving the workflow for nurses, in turn improving patient care. Additionally, this shorter form will be cheaper and more sustainable to produce since it uses less paper, and will be easier to digitise in the future.