HealthManagement, Volume 13, Issue 5/2011
Leading Change in Challenging Times
The Health Management Institute of Ireland (HMI) Held Their Inaugural Annual Conference in Dublin on 3 October 2011.
Held in the historic location of Farmleigh House (former residence of the Guinness family) in Phoenix Park, the one-day conference was opened by Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly. The Minister stressed that regardless of the economic situation the patient should come first. He believes they are often second to processes, "You grapple daily with the challenges of delivering complex services safely and efficiently within diminishing resources. But diminishing resources don't change the central imperative of any health service. The first instruction to a doctor has historically been: 'First, do no harm.'" Dr. Reilly praised the work of the HMI in helping managers to develop high levels skills and providing continuous professional development. He stressed that "every part of the health service should be managed at a professional level by people equipped with the knowledge, understanding and skills to carry out this demanding task."
Speakers were a mix of Irish
and international health managers and experts. The morning session was
entitled 'New Policies, New Practices'. During this session, Mr. Cathal
Magee, Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
addressed the challenge of health service reform, a huge issue in
Ireland at the present moment and indeed many other European countries.
Mr. Heinz Kolking, President of the EAHM spoke of European healthcare
funding strategies another important topic in the current economic
climate.
After lunch and a quick guided tour of the historic
surroundings, the afternoon session 'The Challenge for Managers' began.
This session examined the challenge facing managers in bringing about
the changes required. What leadership competencies are required? What
breakthrough strategies will deliver results? What strategic investments
should now be planned to enable delivery of the change require?
David
Fillingham, Chief Executive of AQUA (Advancing Quality Alliance),
focused on the time-old question: Can we get better quality healthcare
at a lower cost? Also in this session, Sue Hodgetts, Chief Executive of
the Institute of Healthcare Management introduced attendees to new
leadership competencies. There was time for a panel discussion at the
end of each session during which there several lively debates offering
health managers the opportunity to share their experiences.
(E)Hospital
spoke to Mr. Richard Dooley, President of the HMI during the event. He
explained the motivation behind this first annual conference, "There is
recognition in the health service that we need a voice, a professional
voice for managers and we need a mechanism to put this voice together.
We have had the HMI in place for about 8 years. It has a threefold
mission: To educate, to inform and to involve." With help from strategic
partner SHRC Consulting the HMI fulfil education requirements through
innovative training products and e-learning. Members are kept informed
through the e-magazine Health Manager and the conference is the third
step, "today's conference is about involvement, bringing managers
together."
Mr. Dooley recognises that the current model of
service delivery is not fit for service and reform is a necessity. He
believes that management is key to successful reform, "reform has
commenced but it has been haphazard in its commencement. In order to
progress reform you need management and leadership calibre of the
highest order to achieve that. We believe this can be done by investing
in health service managers, investing in their professional development
so that we can put the right management and leadership competencies in
place with managers at the right level that will allow them to see
through this reform."
For more information on the conference or the association, please visit: www.hmi.ie