HSE Launches New Hub for Medical Research in the Mid West

HSE CEO Bernard Gloster has opened the first of the HSE’s new regional Research Directorates, at St Camillus’ Hospital Limerick, hailing the initiative as a key HSE commitment to advancing the delivery of modern healthcare.

“The best medical care in the world,” he said, “is built upon the latest scientific knowledge, and this knowledge is constantly being added to through research. Healthcare research makes new discoveries, it drives improvement, it makes treatments more effective and processes more efficient. Whether its focus is on technology, surgery, medicine or the patient experience, research helps improve health and social care for our patients and clients, and the HSE, through its Regional Directorates, is committed to supporting research and embedding it across our services.”

The Research Directorate Mid West, led by Prof Declan Lyons, will oversee all aspects of clinical research within the HSE locally, with the aim of promoting the advance of scientific knowledge and medical treatments.

As a single point of entry for healthcare researchers in the region, the Directorate will streamline researchers’ access to professional advice, expert regulatory support, and the infrastructure needed to conduct effective and innovative research.

At the official opening last Friday, March 21, Prof Lyons said the opening of the Directorate was

He cited as an exemplar of such research the recent trial of a comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment of older patients living with frailty who present to the Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick. Led by consultant geriatrician Dr Aoife Leahy, the research identified key benefits for patients, including reduced wait times in ED, fewer hospital admissions, lower rates of ED re-attendance and fewer nursing home admissions. Patients also reported better quality of life and function at 180 days.

Prof Lyons said such studies continue to drive improvement in healthcare, and his vision for the Research Directorate Mid West is to help foster a thriving research culture that enables innovative studies that will impact patient lives locally, nationally and internationally.