Through its Excellence Awards, the HSE annually showcases staff innovation. The awards are an opportunity to celebrate examples of the great work that happens every day across the health service. They aim to encourage and inspire health service staff to develop and improve care and services for their patients, clients and communities.

Applications are now open for the 2024 Health Service Excellence Awards. This year, there is a new category for projects focused on sustainability and climate action.

Commending last year’s winners at the 2023 awards ceremony, HSE CEO Bernard Gloster noted how “staff dedication and commitment to delivering high quality patient care” was “visibly demonstrated”  through the 2023 entries submitted by staff from across the country.

He noted that "each project clearly reflects our core values of care, compassion, trust and learning.” Thanking all the winners, the CEO also stressed the importance of recognising the all those who were shortlisted. He added that “it is all their work that helps pave the way to a brighter future for Ireland’s health service.”

For Dr Elizabeth Gethins, Consultant Psychiatrist, Crisis Resolution Team, Sligo Leitrim Mental Health Services, the achievement in winning one of the awards last year was significant. Along with her colleagues, they were successful in the ‘Right Place, Right Time Slaintecare’ category. The team was responsible for the development of a Crisis Resolution Team (Mental Health) project. Describing their involvement in the project as “rewarding,” Dr Gethins explained how, through their efforts, the team were now providing a “realistic alternative to admission or presentation to the Emergency Department for people experiencing a mental health crisis."

"It is a privilege to work intensively with people in their own homes. Feedback from service users and their loved ones has been very positive. We were delighted to receive this award, and to have the recognition that this award brings both to mental health service provision, and to the provision of services in a rural area.”

For Anne Lawlor, patient representative and parent involved in the Complex Care Coordination - Transferable Model of Care for Rare Disease project, winning an Excellence Award last year was equally rewarding. Winning in the ‘Excellence in Quality and Patient Safety’ category, Anne explained that “the whole beauty of this project is that it is co-produced."

"On behalf of our families who have described their experiences with Wesley as life-changing, I can only say that collectively we were over the moon to receive this award. We see this project as a continuous work-in-progress and the recognition that this award brought has provided us with the energy and enthusiasm to continue with that work.”

Watch highlights of the Health Service Excellence Awards 2023 on YouTube

Apply for the Health Service Excellence Awards