St Mary’s hub praised by American institute

A hub on Leeside which supports older people has become the first facility of its kind in Ireland to be recognised for its commitment to caring.

The HSE South West Cork North City Integrated Care Programme for Older People (ICPOP) hub at St Mary’s Campus in Gurranabraher is now an ‘Age-Friendly Health System - Committed to Care Excellence’ following an award by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

The hub provides more than 400 specialist multidisciplinary patient contacts per month.

Eileen McAuliffe, Operational Team Lead ICPOP North City Hub said: “We were delighted to be asked to be one of the ‘proof of concept’ sites for HSE South West to achieve this internationally recognised ‘Age-Friendly Health System - Committed to Care Excellence’ accreditation.

“The Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative is an important part of our overarching vision to provide every older adult with the best care possible, as close to home as possible. This partnership with our community is our guiding star and we now include the 4Ms framework in our comprehensive geriatric assessment which is completed for all patients.”

The team has been working since July 2025 to gain this accreditation from the IHI, based in Boston, USA.

Keith McGrath, Consultant Geriatrician Mercy University Hospital and Clinical Lead ICPOP Cork North City said: “The number of older people in Ireland is growing, which is a good thing in many ways. As we get older, there can be an accumulation of conditions we live with and an intensification in how they interact.

“The team in the Cork North City ICPOP Hub sees a lot of older people who may have complex medical conditions and often have more than just one problem or question when they come to the integrated care clinic.”

Emer Ahern, Consultant Geriatrician CUH, National Clinical Advisor and Group Lead for Older Persons, said: “The recognition of the Cork North City ICPOP hub by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as an Age-Friendly Health System is a significant achievement and a testament to the dedication, collaboration, and innovation of the entire team.”