The Irish Healthcare Awards 2024 shortlisted nominations to recognise the most innovative, impactful, and inspiring individuals, organisations, and initiatives across Ireland's healthcare sector have been published. The 2024 awards will be announced at a special ceremony on Wednesday 4th December 2024 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre.
Two innovative projects led by clinical academics in the Discipline of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin have been shortlisted in several categories in the National Awards Scheme. The shortlisted Trinity College Dublin initiatives have been recognised for addressing mental health and well-being in two distinct populations of need: young people with ADHD in Ireland and personnel in the Irish Defence Forces suffering from trauma. Details about both inspiring and effective solutions and the originators of the ideas are outlined below in the shortlisted categories:
Mental Health Initiative of the Year & NCHD Project of the Year
A Novel, Cost-Effective, and Rapidly Deployable Treatment Program to Address Psychological Trauma is an innovative programme, originally developed to support the psychological health of Irish Defence Forces personnel exposed to traumatic events. It has been highly effective in reducing recovery times and preventing treatment dropout. The programme’s scalable design also makes it adaptable for other populations impacted by crises, such as refugees or communities affected by natural disasters, providing valuable benefits for both military and civilian healthcare settings.
By creating a rapidly deployable mental health response, the programme strengthens national preparedness for a range of emergencies. Its holistic approach promotes faster recovery, cost savings, and aligns with key national mental health objectives.
The programme was led and delivered by Dr. Philip Brady, Clinical Lecturer, Discipline of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, and pt Dr. David Killilea, Irish Defence Forces. Dr Killilea, as a medical doctor and private in the Irish Defence Forces was a vital collaborator in designing the programme.
Speaking about the project Dr Philip Brady, said: “The project highlights the potential for innovative, adaptable mental health solutions to make a tangible difference in both military and civilian settings. We developed this programme to provide rapid, effective support to those exposed to trauma, with a flexible, scalable design that can be adapted for communities affected by crises globally.”
Dr Fionnbar Lenihan, Consultant Psychiatrist for the Defence Forces and Clinical Lecturer, Discipline of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, offered valuable support throughout, contributing essential insights. Speaking about the treatment programme, he said “Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) constitutes a large and growing global public health problem. This is even more relevant in an increasingly unstable, globalised world. There is an urgent need to adapt our existing, highly effective, psychological treatments for scalability and rapid deployment. It is our hope that intensive EMDR treatment using our model can be an important component of a holistic, cross-government approach to the treatment of psychological injuries
Dr Fionnbar Lenihan, Consultant Psychiatrist for the Defence Forces and Clinical Lecturer, Discipline of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin and Dr. Philip Brady, Clinical Lecturer, Discipline of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin.
Mental Health Initiative of the Year & Patient Service of the Year
Developing ADMiRE: The HSE’s first specialist service for children and adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. – A novel app to improve management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been developed by several ADHD specialists as well as digital health and health research experts within the HSE, TCD and DCU. The ADMiRE ADHD App is a secure, web-based app that will translate the ADMiRE standardised clinical protocol into one comprehensive digital system for optimal assessment and treatment of young people with ADHD. As such, the project will deliver significant benefits to CAMHS services and, by extension, the care offered to young people. The increased efficiency that will result from use of the app is estimated has the capacity to reduce wait times, increased capacity and reduced service costs.
The academic project lead is Professor Jane McGrath, Discipline of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin with lead Community Digital Health support from Niamh Sneyd (HSE). Further Information about the App can be found here
For more information about The Irish Healthcare Awards 2024 shortlist and projects see here.