Message from the Chief Academic Officers
(A PDF version of CAO Annual Report 2022 can be accessed by clicking on the link below:)
We are pleased to publish the 2022 Chief Academic Officers Annual Report which represents our third report. The seven Chief Academic Officers (CAOs) of the Hospital Group, linked to the six Medical Schools act as the combined representative voice of the Universities and the Hospital Groups, on Education Training Research and Innovation in Healthcare. Each of the CAOs hold a senior leadership role in both Healthcare and Academia and hence can leverage value between the higher education sector where the majority of Healthcare Professionals are accredited and the clinical care system where the majority receive their training. In bridging the gap between academic discovery, health services research and implementation science the CAOs are positioned to drive policy coherence across sectors that will result in better patient outcomes.
Sláintecare represents the most significant evolution in the delivery of healthcare since the founding of the state. The CAOs recognise Sláintecare cannot be achieved without creation of a research-led health ecosystem in which new knowledge is generated and utilised to inform policy and reform. The CAOs acknowledge that critical to the success of Sláintecare will be development of a Healthcare Workforce competent in transdisciplinary working as the modality through which integrated care and improved patient outcomes will be delivered. As such we welcome the opportunity to align our experience and vision with the evolving Regional Health Area (RHA) model that will include the Community Healthcare Organisations and Primary Care. We recognize the need to develop Academic Health Science System (AHSS), that will be guided by clear policies to allow University and Health sector integration in the planning and delivery of Healthcare, These agreed policies will be enshrined in memoranda of agreement, that are built on the foundations of Academia – Education, Training, Research, and Innovation (ETRI). The CAOs work with colleagues in all arms of the health sector, medical and other health sciences schools to enhance an academic approach in the hospitals and the community to improve integrated patient care.
The CAO annual report for 2022 outlines a dynamic and wide-ranging work program to engage key stakeholders in the principle aim of developing the AHSS in Ireland. We are encouraged
by the interest and also by significant achievements in 2022 detailed in this report. Key to this success is the close working relationships forged by the seven CAOs through the weekly CAO Group meetings. We welcome a new CAO for the Dublin Midlands Group, Professor Martina Hennessey, and would like to thank Professor Joe Keane, Professor of Medicine, TCD for all his input over the last three years.
As we look to 2023 our focus remains on supporting and implementing actions to ensure ETRI is central to all healthcare developments into the future. A key event for 2023 will be the CAOs National Meeting, cohosted with the Hospital Group CEOs, to highlight and review the benefits and barriers to evolving AHSS in Ireland. The AHSS model leads to improvements in patient outcomes and helps attract and retain highly motivated and well-trained staff.
For further information on the Chief Academic Officer Group, please visit https://www.ucd.ie/healthaffairs/chiefacademicofficergroup/