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From the Editor: Kelly-Jo Eastwood

In one of our lead news stories this month, we feature coverage from the recent Irish Hospital Consultant Association’s Symposium: “Implementing Sustainable Healthcare Solutions”, a landmark event that brings together leading international health experts to discuss practical, actionable measures to improve sustainability within the health service.

Reaffirming the IHCA’s commitment to fostering a greener, more sustainable future for Irish healthcare, the symposium featured a distinguished panel of international and Irish experts, sharing insights and practical sustainability strategies that have successfully been implemented in hospitals worldwide. It served as a platform for collaboration and knowledge-sharing, driving meaningful action to meet the twin challenges of sustainability and climate resilience.

Experts showcased evidence based solutions that can reduce the environmental footprint of healthcare practices while improving patient care and delivering savings for public finances, ensuring long-term benefits for both the planet and healthcare systems. Turn to page 8 for the full details.

In other news, on page 12 Tracy O’Carroll, Deputy Director of the National Care Experience Programme at Health Information and Quality Authority gives readers an overview of the HIQA National Inpatient Experience Survey. Since its inception in 2017, the National Inpatient Experience Survey (NIES) has offered a vital glimpse into Ireland’s acute healthcare services through the eyes of those who matter most, patients.

‘In 2024, 12,367 participants shared their perspectives on care across all 40 public acute hospitals. Encouragingly, 85% of patients rated their overall hospital experience as good or very good. Improvements were especially notable in discharge care, which historically has been the lowest scoring stage of care,’  she reflects.

This issue features not one, but two Special Focus sections covering Respiratory and Oncology Care. For the former, we have clinically contributed articles on Asthma Care, authored by Dr Deirdre McDermott, Respiratory Registrar, Galway University Hospital and Dr Sinead Walsh, Consultant Respiratory Physician, Galway University Hospital & Galway City Integrated Care Hub as well as articles covering Cystic Fibrosis, COPD, RSV and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Our in-depth Oncology Focus includes Testicular Cancer, written by Dr M Raheel Khan, Consultant Medical Oncologist, St James’s Hospital, Dublin, Emerging Treatments for Colorectal Cancer by Dr Sinead Toomey and Professor Bryan Hennessy and Immunotherapy for Early-Stage Lung Cancer: A Game Changer authored by Professor Jarushka Naidoo Dr Janet Moyle.

I hope you enjoy the issue.