Established in 2013 the Patient Community Advisory Council (PCAC) was set up with the support of the Executive Management Team of TUH. The PCAC is dedicated to the improvement of quality in patient care at TUH and help support the Hospital’s values.
The group meets eight times a year provides an opportunity for the Hospital to hear directly from patients, users of our services on their experience during their patient journey with the Hospital. Provide feedback on current systems and processes in the Hospital and give their thoughts on new systems being introduced and generate new ideas to improve the standard of care.
The PCAC is composed of groups representing the Community along with staff of the Hospital.
| Declan Daly - Patient Representative & Chair of the PCAC |
Declan has a MBs in Co-operative and Social Enterprise and has worked in the financial sector for over 20 years in both voluntary capacity and also as a CEO.
Due to a long term chronic health condition, Declan became involved with the Living Well Programme as a participant, became a Volunteer Leader and has now completed his Master Training in Chronic Disease Self-Management and Cancer Thriving and Surviving. Declan has now shifted his focus to the Community Sector and is currently the Lay Co-Coordinator for the Living Well Programme with Fettercairn Community Health Project. Declan brings his understanding of the difficulties associated with reduced mobility to the PCAC and has the ability to articulate the voice of members within his community who have similar mobility issues.
Declan is committed to improving the role of the community in the development of TUH and its services, he is also the patient representative on the Quality, Safety & Risk Management Board Committee (QSRM) for the Hospital.
Colette Spears – Community Representative |
Colette Spears, Traveller Primary Health Care Project Co-ordinator, with Tallaght Travellers Community Development Project.
The Project works with over 200 families across Tallaght doing health promotion particularly on cardiovascular disease, diabetes and on mental health services. Colette has a long history of working with Travellers to address the social determinants of health such as access to quality health care services and for culturally appropriate accommodation.
Samantha Griffin – Community Representative |
Samantha is the Coordinator of the Tallaght Health Project, role for over four years, she has a degree in Addiction & Community Development and a strong background in mental health, addiction, and community engagement. She previously worked as a Roma Housing & Health Worker in Tallaght for two years and served as a manager with Sophia Housing, supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
Having grown up in Tallaght, Samantha is deeply passionate about promoting positive health & wellbeing in her community. She leads a range of inclusive health programmes tailored to local needs, coordinates the We Can Quit programme for the area, and hosts the annual Tallaght Health Fair. Through both professional expertise and lived experience, she is committed to empowering marginalised groups and fostering a healthier, more connected community.
| Sinead Lardner - Director of Nursing & Integrated, Tallaght University Hospital |
Sinéad joins TUH from the HSE, where she served as National Lead for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skills Mix, providing strategic leadership on workforce planning and supporting the delivery of safe, high-quality patient care across the health service. Prior to this role, she was Deputy Director of Nursing at Beaumont Hospital and also held a position within the Department of Health's Chief Nursing Office.
An accomplished senior nursing leader, Sinéad brings extensive national and organisational experience, with a proven track record in delivering measurable improvements in patient outcomes, staff experience and organisational performance.
| Carol Mullins - Patient Advocacy Co-ordinator & Patient Experience Lead, Tallaght University Hospital |
Carol Mullins is the Patient Advocacy Co-ordinator & Patient Experience Lead for Tallaght University Hospital. In this role she represents the patients of the Hospital who want to provide feedback on their patient experience positive and negative. She deals with the medical staff in resolving any questions or queries patients have about their experience during their patient care.
This Hospital service vice was established in 2002 by Carol and she remains the driving force behind the development of the service. The objectives of Patient Advocacy is to represent the patient voice, advise senior management on learnings and continuous improvement projects that can be established based on the evidence of feedback received, positive and negative. This all ultimately leads to the delivery of safer patient care which is the mission of the Hospital.
Carol has over 20 years’ experience working in healthcare. She has extensive experience in the delivery of front line services having worked as Administrative Manager in the Emergency Department before undertaking her current role. She has participated in the Patient Community Advisory Council since its establishment in 2012.
| Joanne Coffey - Head of Communications & Community Engagement, Tallaght University Hospital |
In her role Joanne acts as the communications link within the Hospital and also to our surrounding communities, keeping everyone informed of news and events that take place involving Tallaght University Hospital.
A former volunteer tutor with the National Adult Literacy Agency, she has a great enthusiasm for keeping things simple and ensuring any information presented by the Hospital is done in an accessible way. As a member of the PCAC since 2014 she has involved the group in many different initiatives, such as the new hospital website, Know My Medicines and the Tallaght University Hospital Patient App. She makes every effort to ensure that the interests of the patient is at the forefront of everything that is developed by the Hospital.
She is also the key link between the Hospital and community in developing a growing popular series of Public Health Education talks. These events bring various members of speciality medical teams out into the community to educate on various health topics and answer questions from members of the public.
| Ciaran Young - Community Representative |
Ciaran Young is a lecturer in the Department of Mechanical engineering in the Institute of Technology Tallaght. He is a former patient of the Adelaide Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital. He has been a member of PCAC since 2012 and is currently its’ vice chair, he is also the patient representative on the Sepsis Committee for the Hospital.
