The Health Sciences Academy is a partnership between the University of Limerick, the UL Hospitals Group and the Midwest Community Healthcare Organisation.
These three partners share the primary aim, through the Health Sciences Academy, of improving health and wellbeing for people in the Midwest.
The Health Sciences Academy will achieve this by:
- delivering transformative education and training, and
- driving innovation in healthcare delivery and technologies through research,
which all address the needs of the health services and the people in the Midwest.
Based at the Clinical Education and Research Centre (CERC) at the University Hospital Limerick, the Health Sciences Academy’s philosophy is based on the importance of equality and inclusion through the pursuit of excellence in healthcare service, education and research.
The Health Sciences Academy aims to provide an excellent, transformative student experience with a focus on interdisciplinary training and innovative technologies, citizenship and leadership, developing future-ready healthcare professionals. The suite of training programmes is designed to meet the needs of healthcare professionals, both pre- and post-qualification, and to ensure that the training is as accessible and flexible as possible.
Ireland’s Midwest Health Sciences Academy’s partners, University of Limerick and UL Hospitals Group with the Midwest Community Healthcare & Midwest Public Health held the 1st Midwest Academic Health Science System Conference on 8th December 2023 at CERC, UHL.
Featuring two University Presidents and regional HSE healthcare leaders, the conference demonstrated the value of an academic culture of teaching, research and innovation, in providing opportunities for all health professionals and improved patient outcomes.
Keynote speaker Professor David Burn shared the academic health science structure in Newcastle, England, its development impact on their surrounding communities.
Finally, the next steps for stakeholders in the Midwest were highlighted by Professor Whelton, to include development of a Memorandum of Understanding between the institutions, resources and greater collaboration to facilitate greater engagement.
The Power of Collaboration: Building an Academic Health Science System in the Midwest - Conference December 2023
The Faculty of Education and Health Sciences (EHS) consists of three Departments, Nursing & Midwifery, Physical Education & Sport Sciences and Psychology and three Schools, the School of Allied Health, the Graduate Entry Medical School and the School of Education. Those interested in post-primary teaching as well as those interested in working in the health sector will find some of the most progressive programmes in these fields as well as dedicated supervision from faculty members committed to the highest standards of teaching and quality research. Discover more @ University of Limerick, Faculty of Education and Health Sciences
UL Hospitals Group is made up of 6 hospital sites in the Midwest. The 6 sites function as a single hospital system. The 6 hospitals are:
- University Hospital Limerick
- University Maternity Hospital Limerick
- Nenagh Hospital
- Ennis Hospital
- Croom Orthopaedic Hospital
- St. John's Hospital (Voluntary)
UL Hospitals Group provides emergency, surgical and medical services on an inpatient and outpatient basis. UL Hospitals Group serves a population of 385,000 people in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary. Their academic partner is the University of Limerick (UL). The relationship with UL is important in improving standards of care, fostering education, clinical research and innovation.
Discover more @ UL Hospital Group website
The Midwest Community Health Organisation, Area 3 (CHO3) develops, manages and provides all HSE Health & Personal Social Services outside of the UL Hospitals Group to over 385,000 people in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary, and this population is growing. These areas include:
- Primary Care
- Mental Health
- Social Care (Older People & People with a Disability)
- Health and Wellbeing
In the Midwest, the population over 85 years of age has increased in by 13.2% between 2011 and 2016. Changes in the population and life expectancy bring different challenges for services in responding to demand and a number of increases in health spend are directly associated with this demographic pressure. There are approx. 2,500 staff employed directly in the community care area.