ANNUAL REVIEW master Final3a - St Vincent's University Hospital

St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group Limited - Annual Review 2007
Allied Health Professionals - Department of Preventive Medicine and Health Promotion
Nutrition
The Clinical Specialist Dietitian provides an integrated clinical and health promotion service, including inpatient
and outpatient services and group sessions. “Behaviour Change Skills (Level 2): Motivational
Interviewing” training course was provided for Community Dietitians in association with the UCD School of
Public Health and Population Science. 14 Dietitians attended in total with the majority from the HSE, Dublin
Mid-Leinster area.
Safe and Moderate Alcohol consumption (SMAC) Policy development.
The multidisciplinary committee met to discuss the development of a comprehensive policy which would
include staff education and training and the development of patient referral pathways, with community links
being vital in this regard. As a result, the importance of accurate assessment and charting of patients’ alcohol
consumption is now covered in the nursing and medicine induction days. A focus stand, “Pour yourself a
drink”, was developed to provide education to patients, staff and visitors on what a unit of alcohol is. Alcohol
workshops were facilitated by Denise Comerford at the International Health Promoting Hospitals (HPH)
meeting and the All Ireland HPH meeting.
Service to Staff
• Bi-monthly health promotion education sessions were provided to departments, including medical
interns, nursing and general staff induction programmes.
• “Healthwise SVUH” was published with contributions from staff and distributed quarterly.
• Launch of a “Slí na Sláinte” route for National HPH Hospital Challenge Day (HCD), focused on
increasing physical activity. 736 people signed up to do 15 minutes physical activity, take part in the
“DART Challenge” (how long it took to walk from the DART to SVUH) and guided walks on the day.
A ‘No Chip Day’ continues now every Thursday. SVUH received an award for the highest number of
participants taking part in HCD in an organisation of over 2,000 staff.
• A smoking advice service was provided to the estimated 18% of staff who smoke.
Service to the Community
• 1,000 transition year students from schools in the catchment area of the hospital attended our
seminars on alcohol awareness (x2), cancer awareness, smoking active and passive, bugs,
superbugs and preventing infection and healthy eating. This year a session on “Road Safety
Awareness”, in conjunction with the Road Safety section of An Garda Síochána, was also offered.
• Four stop smoking courses were run in 2007, attended by patients and other members of the public.
• A smoking awareness stand was set up in the hospital for “National No Smoking Day”. Carbon
monoxide testing was offered to all who wanted to avail of it on the day.
Health Promoting Hospitals
Denise Comerford and Dr Anna Clarke are members of the Executive of the National HPH Network.
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