Cork North City celebrates being first Age-Friendly Health System ICPOP hub in Ireland

A HSE South West hub providing support for older persons has become the first facility of its kind in Ireland to be recognised as an ‘Age-Friendly Health System - Committed to Care Excellence’ by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

The HSE South West Cork North City Integrated Care Programme for Older People (ICPOP) hub at St Mary’s Campus in Gurranabraher provides over 400 specialist multidisciplinary patient contacts per month. The team has been working since July 2025 to gain this accreditation from the IHI, based in Boston, USA; recognising the team’s commitment to providing excellent care in an age-friendly way, while supporting older people to live well at home.

Eileen McAuliffe, Operational Team Lead ICPOP North City Hub said:

“We were delighted to be asked to be one of the ‘proof of concept’ sites for HSE South West to achieve this internationally recognised ‘Age-Friendly Health System - Committed to Care Excellence’ accreditation.

“The Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative is an important part of our overarching vision to provide every older adult with the best care possible, as close to home as possible. This partnership with our community is our guiding star and we now include the 4Ms framework in our comprehensive geriatric assessment which is completed for all patients.”

The essential elements of an Age-Friendly Health System are known as the ‘4Ms’:

• What Matters: Know and align care with each older adult's specific health outcome goals and care preferences including, but not limited to, end-of-life care, and across settings of care.
• Medication: If medication is necessary, use Age-Friendly medications that do not interfere with What Matters to the older adult, Mobility, or Mind.
• Mind: Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression, and delirium across settings of care.
• Mobility: Ensure that older adults move safely every day to maintain function and do What Matters.

Keith McGrath, Consultant Geriatrician Mercy University Hospital and Clinical Lead ICPOP Cork North City commented:

“The number of older people in Ireland is growing, which is a good thing in many ways. As we get older, there can be an accumulation of conditions we live with and an intensification in how they interact.

“The team in the Cork North City ICPOP Hub sees a lot of older people who may have complex medical conditions and often have more than just one problem or question when they come to the integrated care clinic. The 4Ms framework is a helpful structure as part of the overall comprehensive, or holistic assessment every patient receives, ensuring that it is person-centred and focused on what matters most to each individual person.

“Our goal is to support older people to live well at home for as long as possible, reduce hospital admissions, and improve quality of life and quality of care.”

Emer Ahern, Consultant Geriatrician CUH, National Clinical Advisor and Group Lead for Older Persons, said:

“The recognition of the Cork North City ICPOP hub by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as an Age-Friendly Health System is a significant achievement and a testament to the dedication, collaboration, and innovation of the entire team.

“Central to this is the Age-Friendly Health System ‘4Ms’ framework, which ensures care is aligned with each person’s goals and supports them to live well in their daily lives. By focusing on what matters most to older adults, optimising medication use, maintaining mobility, and supporting cognitive and mental wellbeing, the team is improving outcomes for older people while also enhancing staff experience and delivering more effective, integrated care across the system.”