NOCA Annual Conference 2025: Data-Driven Healthcare: Planning, Delivering, Improving
The NOCA Annual Conference 2025 was held on the 4th February, in association with RCSI Charter Week. The event saw nearly 500 healthcare professionals, managers, researchers and patient advocates gather for the ninth NOCA Annual Conference. The day was filled with insightful discussions, innovative presentations, and valuable networking opportunities.
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This year, the conference theme was ‘Data-Driven Healthcare: Planning, Delivering, Improving’. During his Opening Address, Bernard Gloster, CEO of the HSE welcomed attendees on the day and commented:
There is no question that we would not have made some of the improvements we've made in healthcare, we would not have identified some of the shortcomings we have identified, were it not for a whole range of audit activity...The centrality of audit as an instrument for identifying opportunities for improvement has to be something that we not only subscribe to, but that we sign up to, and that we meet audit outcomes with a sense of transparency from mutual agreement with the people we serve."
This year’s theme reflected on the critical role of robust national clinical audit data in shaping better healthcare outcomes and enhancing patient experiences.
With nearly 500 attendees, this year's conference saw excellent attendance and engagement from the diverse audience. Attendees were actively engaged throughout the day, participating in panel discussions, voting for the NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2025 winner, visiting the poster presentations, and networking opportunities with exhibitors and sponsors aimed at driving positive change in healthcare.
Further details on the NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2025 and the NOCA Poster Competition can be found here.
We extend our gratitude to all who make the NOCA Annual Conference possible—our speakers, chairs, panelists, sponsors, exhibitors, and delegates. Your contributions are the backbone of this conference’s continued success.
Copies of the powerpoint presentations, as well as recordings from the day are available below.
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Recording: Morning
Chaired by Dr. Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer of the HSE, with a Welcome Address by Bernard Gloster, CEO of the HSE. Dr. Brian Creedon, NOCA Clinical Director, discussed NOCA’s impact on Ireland’s healthcare system. Professor Juliana Chan, Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, shared insights on using registries to transform diabetes care. Hester Girling, Project Manager of CVDPrevent, presented on developing a primary care audit to aid cardiovascular disease prevention in the UK. The session concluded with a Panel Discussion featuring the speakers and NOCA Clinical Leads, Professor Joe Harbison and Professor Nuala Murphy.
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Recording: Mid-Morning
Chaired by Dr. Orla Healy, National Clinical Director of Quality and Patient Safety, HSE. The session opened with the launch of the National Paediatric Mortality Register Annual Report 2025, presented by Professor Michael Barrett. Rebecca Maher shared Matilda's Story, highlighting the impact of losing her daughter to a heart condition in 2015. Four shortlisted projects then presented for the NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2025. The session concluded with a panel discussion featuring the speakers and Professor Philip Dodd, Dr. Abigail Collins, and Mandy Daly.
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Recording: Afternoon
Chaired by Dr. Deirdre Mulholland, Area Director of Public Health, HSE Dublin and North East. Professor Ingrid Wolfe OBE presented remotely on improving outcomes for children through population health approaches. Karen Healy, Organ Donation Nurse Manager, discussed the power of audits and integrating health equity stratifiers. Professor Frank Doyle shared insights on linking NOCA’s Major Trauma Audit with National Ambulance Service data to track patient journeys. Professor Áine Carroll highlighted the need for person-centered, integrated care in Ireland. A panel discussion followed, and Collette Tully, NOCA Executive Director, closed the event by presenting the NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2025 to Dr. Nessa Keane and the winning poster award to Aoife McInerney.
Powerpoint Presentations
| Speaker | Presentation |
|---|---|
| Dr Brian Creedon, Clinical Director, NOCA | NOCA Impact 2024 |
| Professor Juliana Chan, Director, Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity | Using registers to transform diabetes care |
| Hester Girling, Project Manager, National Audit of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Primary Care (CVDPrevent) | CVDPREVENT: Developing a Primary Care audit in England, to support CVD prevention throughout the system |
| Professor Michael Barrett, Chair, National Paediatric Mortality RegisterGovernance Committee | LAUNCH: National Paediatric Mortality Register Annual Report 2025 |
| Dr Nessa Keane, Registrar in Palliative Medicine at Galway University Hospital | Improving Prescribing Accuracy of PRN Medications for Haematology/Oncology Patients to Improve Safety and Efficacy |
| Patricia Sheehan, Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist, HSE Cork Kerry Community Healthcare Margaret Donnelly, Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist Integrated Health Areas of Dublin North County and Dublin North City & West | Skip the Dip for Urinary Tract Infection in Over 65s |
| Dr Michael Lane, Senior House Officer, Children’s Health Ireland | Introduction of Paediatric Nurse-Led Infliximab Infusions for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease |
| Mary Bedding, Project Lead, National Deteriorating Patient Improvement Programme (DPIP) | IRESTORE Residential Older Persons Early Warning System Proof of Concept Project |
| KEYNOTE Professor Ingrid Wolfe OBE, Professor of Paediatrics and Child Population Health, King’s College London | |
| Karen Healy, Organ Donation Nurse Manager Lead, Irish Potential Donor Audit | Irish Potential Donor Audit: Understanding the Organ Donation Landscape |
| Professor Frank Doyle, Principal Investigator, TRAUMA Study, RCSI | Joining the dots to join the data - Major Trauma Audit and National Ambulance Service |
| Professor Áine Carroll, Professor of Integrated care and Improvement at University College Dublin | Integrated Care, Learning Health systems and audit |
A Day in Photos
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We would like to thank our sponsors, who kindly supported the NOCA Annual Conference 2025.
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