HSE Dublin and South East showcases leadership in partnership at National Patient and Public Partnership Conference 2026

Partnership projects from across HSE Dublin and South East were among those showcased at the 4th Annual HSE Partnership conference last week, highlighting the region’s growing commitment to involving patients, families, services users and communities in the design and delivery of health services.

Hosted by the HSE Patient and Service User Experience team, the conference brought together patient partners, service users, families, communities and healthcare staff from across Ireland to share learning, celebrate achievements and strengthen collaboration in shaping health services through partnership.

The region was well represented by members of the Regional Partnership Council including, Anne Lawlor, Stephanie Skeffington, John McCusker, Áine Lynch, Regional Director of Nursing and Midwifery, and Lorna Kerin, Regional Patient and Service User Engagement Lead.

Several initiatives from across Dublin and South East featured throughout the conference’s programme. Among them was work supporting the National Inpatient Experience Survey at University Hospital Waterford, highlighted through a poster presentation by Sean Swift, Chairperson of University Hospital Waterford Patient Forum and Antoinette Carberry. Both have made significant voluntary contributions to enhancing patient voice and supporting service improvement within the hospital.

Jim Gorman, Health and Wellbeing, Dublin South and Wicklow Integrated Healthcare Area presented on the ‘Ageing Well Network’, demonstrating how involvement from local communities can strengthen the planning and delivery of services. Colm Harty, Patient and Service User Engagement Officer, shared insights from the co-design of the new Neuro Rehabilitation team.

Conference workshops also featured a range of regional projects including:

• Mary Helen Connors – Informing the Traveller Mental Health Action Plan through Statutory, Community and Voluntary Sector Collaboration
• Paddy McMahon – Co-producing a National Community Cancer Support Network
• Bayveen O'Connell – Embedding Sláintecare through Partnership and Co-Design in a Newly Established Neuro-Rehabilitation Team
• Shannon O'Farrell Molloy – Creating a Positive Difference for People Living with Cerebral Palsy

The wide range of initiatives presented at the conference demonstrated the region's commitment to ensuring the voices and experiences of patients, service users and communities help inform healthcare planning, service development and quality improvement.

Commenting on the conference, Lorna Kerin, Co-Chair of the Regional Partnership Council and Regional Patient and Service User Engagement Lead, said: "It was inspiring to see such strong representation from across the Dublin and South East region and to hear the national commitment to building a health service that actively enables and values partnership. The conference showcased the tremendous contribution of patient advocates, service users, families, communities and staff who are working together to improve services.

“Meaningful partnership is essential to ensuring that people's lived experiences inform healthcare planning, service delivery and quality improvement. By continuing to build organisational capacity for partnership, we can create more responsive services, improve patient experiences and ultimately achieve better health outcomes for the populations we serve."

The conference highlighted the important role that partnership plays in delivering the ambitions of Sláintecare and demonstrated how collaborative approaches are helping to shape a more person-centred health service.