Research dissemination and presentations
April 2023
Dr Sarah Parker and Prof Sara Burke delivered a session entitled: ‘Complexity-informed lessons from the pandemic response for health system reform’ at the HSE Research Webinar Series on 27 April 2023. Foundations’ Team member Dr Rikke Siersbaek curated the questions. The series is a collaboration between HSE Research & Evidence and HSE Operations Planning in association with the Centre for Health Policy and Management, TCD. This event was chaired by HSE CHO 6 Chief Officer Martina Queally.
March 2023
On 30 March 2023, Dr Padraic Fleming and Prof Steve Thomas delivered a session entitled: ‘Workforce resilience and implications for health system reform - Learning from austerity and COVID-19’ as part of the HSE Research Webinar Series. The series is a collaboration between HSE Research & Evidence and HSE Operations Planning in association with the Foundations’ and RESTORE research projects in the Centre for Health Policy and Management, TCD. This event was chaired by Dr Philippa Ryan Withero, HSE Assistant National Director Integrated Health Workforce Planning and Prof Sara Burke curated the questions.
On 1 March 2023, Prof Sara Burke, Dr Bridget Johnson and Prof Steve Thomas were called before the Houses of Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health to present and discuss ‘Consideration of issues relating to the implementation of Sláintecare reforms’. In the opening statement Prof Burke spoke to the challenges and lessons for the health system reform process presented by the COVID-19 period, emphasising the need for a clear governance and oversight structure to drive the implementation of Sláintecare. The full committee hearing can be viewed here .
A selection of news media coverage of the Centre for Health Policy and Management’s attendance at the Joint Committee on Health on 1 March 2023:
'I’d give Sláintecare four thus far': Healthcare reforms not happening fast enough – Irish Examiner
Piecemeal reform prohibits Sláintecare, committee hears – RTÉ
February 2023
On 28 February 2023 Dr Rikke Siersbaek presented findings from a HSE-funded realist review on financial incentives to stop smoking at an event convened by the HSE Tobacco Free Ireland Team. Foundations’ PI Prof Sara Burke and Research Fellow Dr Sarah Parker are co-authors on this work, alongside Dr Paul Kavanagh, HSE and Dr John Ford, Queen Mary University of London.
An editorial by Prof Sara Burke appeared in The Irish Times on 7 January 2023 and addresses the overcrowding in hospitals this winter as a symptom of failure to progress Sláintecare reforms. She writes: ‘We hear talk of the “winter plan”, of every resource being made available to help solve the “crisis” in Emergency Departments yet winter happens every year. What we need to do now is not just to firefight the current situation but invest in and plan for next year and the years after.’ The full piece can be accessed here.
On 23 February 2023, Profs Sara Burke and Steve Thomas presented a session entitled: ‘Assessing Ireland’s health system resilience during the first 18 months of COVID-19: Learning for health system reform’ at the HSE Research Webinar Series. The series is a collaboration between HSE Research & Evidence and HSE Operations Planning in association with the Centre for Health Policy and Management, TCD. This session was chaired by Dr Stephanie O’Keeffe, HSE National Director, Integrated Operations – Planning.
Prof Sara Burke was a panellist at the 19th annual National Health Summit, which took place on 8 February 2023 in Croke Park. The session was entitled ‘Where health policy meets health care - Is the consensus holding on full implementation of Sláintecare?’ Other panellists included Robert Watt, Secretary General, Department of Health, Caitriona Walsh, President and Managing Director Novartis Ireland, and Prof Robert Landers, President, Irish Hospital Consultants Association.
Prof Burke is quoted in the Medical Independent’s coverage of the event:
Voices from the Summit – The Medical Independent
December 2022
On Wednesday 7 December, Foundations’ project Principal Investigator Prof Sara Burke led a seminar to share research with around 100 attendees. Provost Linda Doyle opened the seminar, and Head of the School of Medicine Prof Colin Doherty closed proceedings after an engaging day. Dr Padraic Fleming, Dr Sarah Parker, Dr Bridget Johnston and Dr Carlos Bruen all joined Prof Burke in sharing findings of several of the outputs from the project so far. The slides from all presentations are available here and the publications which formed the basis for the presentations can be accessed here.
On 6 December 2022 Prof Sara Burke delivered a keynote at the Global Brain Health Institute’s Conversations on Hope event entitled: The anatomy of hope: Can hope be rekindled? In Richmond Barracks, Dublin 8.
Prof Sara Burke delivered a lecture for The Ulster Medical Society on 1 December 2022 entitled: Reflections on health reform in Ireland (Sláintecare): through a health policy and health systems' lens.
November 2022
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On 28 November Prof Sara Burke and Dr Rikke Siersbaek presented, on the Irish health system and health policy and inclusion health, along with our colleague from Discipline of Public Health & Primary Care in the School of Medicine to a team of general practice clinicians and researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark.
October 2022
Prof Sara Burke and Dr Sarah Parker attended the Health Systems and Policy Monitor Network Meeting in Castlebrando, Italy on 21 October 2022. Prof Burke chaired a session on Resilience.
On 11 October 2022, Prof Sara Burke facilitated a panel discussion featuring Dr Fiona Murphy, Dr Sarah O’Brien, Dr Nóirín Russel and Mr Liam Woods at the Health Service Executive’s National Clinical Directors conference at the Royal College of Surgeons Dublin.
September 2022
On 22 September 2022 Prof Sara Burke, Dr Padraic Fleming, and Prof Steve Thomas delivered a session entitled: ‘Assessing Ireland’s health system resilience during the first 18 months of COVID-19: Learning for health system reform’ as part of an internal Policy Seminar Series with the Department of Health.
On 17 September 2022, Prof Sara Burke presented on Foundations’ project research on the progress of Sláintecare's implementation to the Dublin Economics Workshop. The Irish Times wrote about the event and Sara’s participation. The article can be accessed here: State needs to invest more in primary health care, health expert urges
On 15 September 2022, Prof Sara Burke and Dr Sarah Parker presented to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation on Sláintecare.
July 2022
Prof Sara Burke was interviewed on RTE’s The Week in Politics on 3 July 2022 calling for strategic leadership for the implementation of Sláintecare.
May 2022
On 6 May 2022, Dr Sara Burke gave the keynote address to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s Annual Delegate Conference in Sligo. It followed a ministerial address by Mr Stephen Donnelly and the President’s address by INMO President Karen McGowan. Her presentation entitled ‘Snakes and ladders: analysing the implementation Sláintecare and universal healthcare in Ireland’ was an opportunity for Dr Burke to present key findings from the policy analysis work of the Foundations’ project to an audience of over 300 nurses. As a result of the presentation, Dr Burke has been invited to meet with the INMO executive for a longer session to discuss the implications of the research findings for Sláintecare’s implementation.
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March 2022
Sara Burke chaired the panel discussion following the opening plenary address by Dr Niamh Lennox-Chhugani, Chief Executive Officer of the International Foundation on Integrated Care at the first All-Ireland Conference on Integrated Care held on 10 March 2022 in the O’Reilly Hall in University College Dublin. The panel consisted of Niamh Lennox-Chhugani, Siobhán Ní Bhriain, HSE National Lead for Integrated Care, Jacqui Browne, Chair, The Disability Persons Network and Paul Cavanagh, Director Planning and Commissioning, in the Health and Social Care Board in Northern Ireland. There was a lively discussion based on questions from the 200 plus in-person attendees ranging from how to the need to have meaningful public involvement in integrated care planning and delivery through co-creation and coproduction, how to shift resources from the hospital to primary and social care, the political obstacles to the long-term nature of implementing integrated care, the importance of getting the right metrics for integrated care as well as the crucial role of communities and the workforce in delivering integrated care.
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Sara Burke gave the second day keynote presentation at the Association of University Departments of General Practice in Ireland and Irish College of General Practitioners Joint Conference on 5 March 2022. Her presentation was called Implementing universal healthcare & Sláintecare: a health policy analysis. She provided an update on the state of Sláintecare implementation and along with an analysis of the creation and history of the policy. There was extensive engagement from the audience of GPs with a wide-ranging discussion including how clinicians can become active participants in advocacy and the policy process.
February 2022
Dr Sara Burke published an opinion piece in the Irish Times on 3 February 2022 questioning the progress of the implementation of the Sláintecare health policy programme. She wrote: 'The response of the health system to Covid-19 is an excellent example of how resources and strong clinical leadership can empower frontline hospital and community initiatives to innovate and deliver quality care at speed to meet people’s needs. It is a real shame that gains made during the pandemic are now being squandered by deferral and inaction by our political and health leaders'. The full piece can be accessed here
January 2022
Foundations Project PI Dr Sara Burke was a member of a panel discussing ‘Positive service shifts accelerated by COVID-19: Lessons for Leaders’ during the 2022 Health Summit Sara shared findings from the Foundations project regarding the alignment between the Irish COVID-19 response and Sláintecare, characterising the response as being universal in nature with care provided free at the point of delivery to the entire population. She also highlighted the emergence of new patient trajectories during COVID-19 as care had to be delivered in new ways utilising tools like online consultations. She suggested that the next challenge for the Irish health system is to maintain the new ways of working which have been successful and not reverting to type.
November 2021
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Research team members Dr Bridget Johnston and Dr Sarah Parker along with Principal Investigator Dr Sara Burke presented findings related to Population Based Resource Allocation to the Department of Health’s monthly internal seminar series on 18 November.
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October 2021
- Principal Investigator Dr Sara Burke and Dr Sara Barry presented findings from Understanding Service Reorganisation in the Irish Health & Social Care System 1998 to 2020 – lessons for reform and transformation to the Department of Health’s monthly internal seminar series on 21 October 2021.
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- On 13 October, Principal Investigator Dr Sara Burke chaired the Cork Healthy Cities Future of Public Health event hosted by University College Cork, featuring Profs Martin McKee and Ivan Perry. A video of the session can be viewed here
September 2021
- Principal Investigator Dr Sara Burke published an opinion piece in the Irish Times on 22 September in reaction to the resignations of Laura Magahy and Dr Tom Keane from the Sláintecare Implementation Office and Board, respectively.
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- The RTE programme Prime Time interviewed Principal Investigator Dr Sara Buke on 17 September about the resignations of Laura Magahy and Dr Tom Keane from the Sláintecare Implementation Office and Board, respectively. The programme can be watched on the RTE website
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- Principal Investigator Dr Sara Burke presented to the Social Democrats Think-In on 6 September 2021
April 2021
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- Principal Investigator Dr Sara Burke presented to the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland National Healthcare Outcomes Conference 2021 on 13 April. The title of her presentation was COVID 19: A window of opportunity for Sláintecare. The presentation can be viewed at this link beginning at the 30:34 minute mark.
- Principal Investigator Dr Sara Burke was the special rapporteur at the health session on the second day of the Irish Government’s National Economic Dialogue. She presents key themes from first ever health session at the NED at this link. Sara also contributed to the Chair’s Report of the National Economic Dialogue 2021. Her section, starting on page 20 entitled ‘Deliver a more responsive and integrated health and social care service for a post-COVID world’ can be accessed at this link
February 2021
- Dr Sara Burke presented on the Foundations project to HRB grant holders conference about changes to the Foundations project in response to COVID-19. Her presentation can be viewed at this link.
March 2020-August 2021
- Members of the Foundations research team contributed weekly reports on the Irish government’s COVID-19 response to support the WHO’s Health System Response Monitor (HSRM) which was designed in response to the COVID-19 outbreak to collect and organize up-to-date information on how countries are responding to the crisis. As a result of this work, the research team collaborated with international colleagues on a publication comparing 2020 health policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. The article can be read here