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Our Beneficiaries for Med Day 2023

Street Reach : Bringing Specialist Care to All - St James’ Hospital.

 This is our major beneficiary to which we have committed to raising 20,000 euro for this year

Street Reach is a mobile health clinic providing Specialist Care to people from marginalised groups. MedDay would be funding a bespoke fully electric vehicle equipped with treatment space to allow medical outreach beyond the hospital. This is an extension of a clinical care pathway developed through Slainte Care that has been successful in preventing admissions related to seizures for people experiencing homelessness, and integrating Homeless primary care providers with Advanced Nurse Practitioners in Epilepsy and Inclusion Health services. Street Reach further expands this existing care pathway to other specialties, with the aim of bringing Specialist Care from Here (hospital) to There (where the person is).  International research shows that vulnerable population groups have higher rates of premature multi-morbidity, high utilisation of unscheduled care, reduced access to specialist care services and increased risk of premature mortality from preventable causes. In fact, the majority (78%) of patients in inclusion health who died in a seizure have no anti-epileptic drugs in their system. This funding will allow for upscaling of the current outreach clinics by a minimum of 400% (from 36 hrs/year to 180 hrs/year) within the epilepsy service alone.  This project will reduce wait times and DNAs (Did Not Attend) to specialist OPD clinics. It embeds the vision of Slainte Care and Modernised Care Pathways - bringing the right care, right time, right place to the right person. There will additionally be an increase in the current  HIV outreach service by 6 fold, reducing risk of treatment resistance, opportunistic infections, onward transmission during periods off treatment, preventable hospital admission and advanced HIV. It will also introduce the ability to treat HIV/HCV co-infection in the community , currently only available in hospitals, and implement the first Irish pilot for Long Acting Injectable Antiretroviral Treatment (LAART) for vulnerable people who find it difficult to comply with oral regimes. In the future the StreetReach programme will have the ability to replicate its model for the management of other chronic illnesses prevalent in this population.

The Power of Powered Mobility: Enhance Independence in Residential Care - Our Lady's Hospice.

Access to multifunction powered mobility can directly enhance the quality of life and wellbeing of the user and their caregivers/family. This project aims to provide enhanced independence, comfort, and autonomy of choice to individuals living in a residential setting who are experiencing symptoms associated with life-limiting conditions. The wheelchair can facilitate engagement in meaningful activities of everyday life, social participation and choice in an individual’s daily routine in a residential care facility. Furthermore, one multifunction powered wheelchair can be used to enhance the quality of life experience for hundreds of residents. The adjustability features of this chair such as the tilt-in-space function allows for careful postural management for an individual experiencing pain or fatigue associated with their condition.  This can allow an individual to spend longer sitting in the powered chair with comfort and to spend more time engaged in meaningful occupation.  Adjustability within the powered chair means that a single powered wheelchair can be adjusted to accommodate the size and specific postural management needs of many different individual residents over time. It will also benefit resident families, carers and clinical staff in terms of mobility, independence, socialising, and workload

Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) Mannequin for Practical Training 

- Tallaght University Hospital.

It is vital that patients with swallowing difficulties receive an instrumental swallow evaluation as per the European Society of Swallowing Disorders. Speech and Language therapists carry out this evaluation by using instrumental assessment tools such as flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). FEES is an invasive procedure where the flexible nasendoscopy is inserted transnasally into the throat, with the catheter extending into the oesophagus. Currently, clinicians must gain competence for passing the FEES scope with real patients, which causes physical discomfort and increased anxiety in patients. The goal is that a simulation mannequin would provide an appropriate means for endoscopists-in-training to improve their insertion skills without needing to use a real person. As soon as the model can be purchased, it will immediately be used by clinicians currently learning FEES. Simulation training using a specialised mannequin would significantly improve the learner’s ability to insert the scope/catheter so that by the time they first use it with real people, minimal discomfort will be experienced by these patients. This model would increase learners’ access to practical training opportunities which would increase the number of competent staff in the department and ultimately mean that more patients can receive the best care quicker. This project will have a positive impact in both inpatient and outpatient settings.  

Trinity Access Programme

Trinity Access Programme (TAP)'s mission is to work in partnership across the education sector with student, teachers, families, communities, and businesses to widen access and participation at third-level for under-represented groups. TAP offers a range of access programmes for people with the enthusiasm, motivation, and ability to succeed at third level. TAP engages with communities and schools in low progression areas to encourage a positive mindset and support real steps towards going to University. Med Day's partnership with TAP has been long-running and involves promotion of TAP and a clinical skills day with TAP students in secondary school. We look forward to continuing to work with this inspiring organisaiton! 

Neuropsychology Service for Children with Cancer - CHI Crumlin.

Improving access and quality of psychological and cognitive care for children battling cancer.  Cancer is a word no one wants to hear in the same sentence as the word child. However, over 200 children are diagnosed with cancer in Ireland every year. Many young cancer survivors face ongoing challenges, and are at risk of experiencing neurocognitive difficulties with approximately 50-60% of all children treated for cancer at risk of experiencing some form of neurocognitive difficulty, and rates approaching 100% for children treated for brain tumours. The most effective method to measure and report these issues is through a specialised assessment programme which gives a detailed look at each child's strengths and challenges, showing how these affect their learning and social life. This information is vital for creating personalised support plans to help these children reach their full potential, as they integrate back into their school and community. The programme will provide reports to families, healthcare workers, schools, and community services. This will help refine clinical medical practices and ensure better patient outcomes for children and young people across Ireland during and post cancer treatment, and will greatly aid their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. 

 

Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin is the designated cancer centre for paediatric cancer, and there are approximately 800 patients from across Ireland on active treatment for cancer attending the hospital that will be able to avail of this service, as well as additional patients, post-treatment, who attend the hospital for late effect clinics. 

The St James's Hospital Pleural Trolley

Improving efficiency, patient and staff experience during pleural procedures. Pleural effusions (a buildup of fluid between the lung and the rib cage) are common, and can cause very severe breathlessness. Drainage of a pleural effusion by inserting a plastic tube (a chest drain) between the ribs into this space between the lung and the rib cage can help ease the symptom of breathlessness and can help with diagnosis. This project will improve the experience of patients who are undergoing pleural procedures, by making the encounter feel well-organised and controlled. Patients undergoing these procedures are in a uniquely vulnerable position, and ensuring that they feel like they are in safe hands in an organised system is incredibly important. Because pleural procedures are often done on the ward at the bedside, the environment does not always feel calm. The current system which involves senior doctors spending sometimes hours looking for equipment across different wards is an incredible waste of resources and causes delays in procedures, which adds to patient anxiety and stress, as well as causing frustration for staff. The Pleural Trolley will prevent these experienced practitioners from spending less time looking for equipment and more time treating patients, and will make a significant impact in creating a sense of calm and safety for patients, as well as preventing long delays, and reducing risk of complication 

 in their treatment. 

Measurement of respiratory muscle strength in mechanically ventilated patients in ICU - Tallaght University Hospital.

The project hopes to use equipment that accurately assesses the respiratory muscle strength of patients who are ventilated in the intensive care unit. These patients are at a high risk of losing strength in their breathing muscles and this can prolong their ICU stay, impair recovery, and have detrimental impacts on the patient's physical and mental wellbeing. By testing muscle strength clinicians can interpret complications at an earlier point and use this information  to better guide the patient's care, ultimately minimising patient complications and shortening ICU stays. To counteract the damage of these patient’s respiratory muscles, targeted strengthening exercises will be implemented. By having this equipment available and delivering the necessary training and education to the staff in the ICU they hope to be able to assess the prevalence rates of respiratory muscle weakness in their population of patients. A secondary aim of this project is to gather data for research and publication, which is an important element of medicine and clinical practice. This project will enhance the ability of the Multidisciplinary Team to work together, and individualise rehabilitation and recovery plans for patients.  

Hand Therapy Department Workshop Space Redesign and Reconfiguration 

- Tallaght University Hospital.

The redesign and renovation of the hand therapy workshop involves enhancing the treatment space for both patients and staff availing of the hand therapy service. This specifically involves creating additional workstations for therapists, creating a second splinting space, as well as improving the non-clinical work area in the workshop for occupational therapy staff. On a National level, this project will benefit outpatient services as echoed in The HSE's Strategy for the Redesign of Outpatient Services 2016-2020, where orthopaedic outpatient services are shown to have the longest waiting lists and highest numbers of outpatient activity. With a complete redesign, the service could increase the number of staff working and have the capacity to tackle a three year long elective waitlist while expanding the hand therapy clinic. The goals of the redesign are; optimise the space, increase therapist capacity, increase patient satisfaction and safety and improve the overall running of the service. The projections for this redesign forecast a 20% increase in appointments, which will significantly impact waiting times for our outpatient hand therapy services.

Your contribution will help us make a real difference in patient care!

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