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NOCA welcomed over 450 delegates to RCSI for its Annual Conference 2026, bringing together clinical leaders, policymakers, quality improvement experts and patient representatives to explore how audit data can drive meaningful change across the health system.
Opening the NOCA Annual Conference 2026, Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD, Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, reflected on the importance of clinical audit in strengthening Ireland’s health system:
The NOCA Annual Conference is a platform for accountability, transparency and shared learning. It shows how data can drive meaningful change – it highlights real improvements but also shows where more attention is needed."
The day opened with the launch of the Irish Heart Attack Audit National Report 2024, where Professor Ronan Margey outlined national performance, variation in care, and areas requiring sustained focus, particularly timely reperfusion and equitable access to services. This was complemented by presentation of the NOCA Impact Report 2026, highlighting how audit findings are influencing policy, clinical pathways and quality improvement initiatives across the health system.
A highlight of the afternoon was the keynote address by Professor Emma Vardy, Clinical Co-Lead of the UK National Audit of Dementia. In her presentation, From Data to Practice – A Spotlight on Dementia, Professor Vardy demonstrated how robust national audit programmes can influence service configuration, improve diagnostic pathways and support better outcomes for people living with dementia. Drawing on international experience, she emphasised the importance of translating data into practical, system-level improvements and sustaining momentum beyond publication of reports.
System-wide transformation was also explored through presentations on Ireland’s preparedness for the European Health Data Space, co-designing health and wellbeing profiles for older adults, and practical approaches to overcoming barriers to change in improvement work.
The conference also featured valuable contributions from Patient & Public Interest representatives, including Paula Connor and Michael Madigan, alongside a moving recorded perspective from Matthew and Christine Hurley on living with dementia. These contributions reinforced the central purpose of audit: improving care and outcomes for patients and families.
Attendees were actively engaged throughout the day, participating in panel discussions, voting for the NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2026 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 2026 and the NOCA Poster Competition can be found here.
The 2026 conference reflected NOCA’s continued commitment to strengthening a culture where audit informs action, collaboration drives improvement, and data is used to support better care across the health service.
Copies of the powerpoint presentations, as well as recordings from the day are available below.
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Recording: Morning
Chaired by Dr Eamon Dolan, the morning session opened with a welcome from Collette Tully and an address from Minister Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD. Highlights included the launch of the Irish Heart Attack Audit National Report 2024 and presentation of the NOCA Impact Report 2026. A patient perspective from Paula Connor grounded the data in lived experience, followed by a panel discussion on translating audit findings into meaningful improvement. Professor Joseph Galvin, Clinical Co-Lead, National Heart Programme joined the speakers on the panel.
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Recording: Mid-Morning
Chaired by Majella Daly, this session focused on quality improvement in action. Emer Doyle outlined Ireland’s preparation for the European Health Data Space, followed by presentations from the 2026 NOCA Quality Improvement Champion finalists, showcasing practical, frontline initiatives. The session concluded with a panel discussion with some of NOCA's Clinical Leads and Chairs exploring what truly drives improvement from audit to action.
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Recording: Afternoon
Chaired by Sandra Broderick, contributions included a moving patient and family perspective on living with dementia, a keynote from Professor Emma Vardy on translating dementia audit data into practice, and presentations on ageing well and overcoming barriers to change. A final panel discussion and the presentation of the NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2026 and poster winners brought the conference to a close.
Powerpoint Presentations
| Speaker | Presentation |
|---|---|
| Louise Brent, Head of Audit Management, NOCA Michael Madigan, Patient & Public Interest Representative, Audit Impact Committee | NOCA Impact Report 2026 |
| Professor Ronan Margey, Clinical Lead, Irish Heart Attack Audit | LAUNCH: Irish Heart Attack Audit National Report 2024 |
| Paula Connor, Patient & Public Interest Representative, Irish Heart Attack Audit | Patient Perspective |
| Emer Doyle, Principal Officer, Health Information Policy Unit, Department of Health | Ireland – Getting Ready for the European Health Data Space |
| NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2026 Carol Doherty, Respiratory Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Letterkenny University Hospital | Rebreathing new life into oxygen therapy |
| NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2026 Princy Kuriak, Clinical Skills Facilitator (Deteriorating Patient) Practice Development Our Lady of Lourdes’ Hospital, Louth Hospitals, Drogheda | Improving Sepsis Management in the Emergency Department, Louth Hospitals – An Organisational Quality Improvement Initiative |
| NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2026 Dr Muhammad Sikandar Tahir, Paediatric Registrar, Mayo University Hospital | Reducing Unnecessary SCBU Admissions Through a Midwifery-Centred Transitional Care Observation Pathway for Term and Near-Term Infants with Mild Respiratory Distress in a Level 1 Maternity Hospital |
| DNOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2026 Kayla Murphy, CNM2, Clinical Operations Manager, Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin | Probing for Change: Making Emergency Care Greener |
| NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2026 Edel O’Toole, Clinical Specialist Radiation Therapist, Radiation Safety Officer, University Hospital Galway | Audit of additional Cone beam imaging in pelvic radiotherapy and QIP to use Pelvic floor exercises to reduce improving efficiency, safety and patient experience on treatment |
| NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2026 Karena Hayes, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Stroke, Cork University Hospital | Time is Brain: Reducing time to CT for Acute Stroke Patients in Cork University Hospital |
| KEYNOTE: Professor Emma Vardy, Clinical Co-Lead, National Audit of Dementia, UK | From data to practice – A spotlight on dementia |
| Dr Mary Browne, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, HSE National Health Service Improvement Team, Public Health Dr Graham Hughes, Clinical Lead, National Clinical Programme for Older People, HSE | Co-Designing What Matters - Ageing Well Together: An Older Adult Health and Wellbeing Profile |
| Michael Comyn, Managing Director, The Time Signal Ltd. | From Data to Doing: Unlocking the Immunity to Change |
A Day in Photos
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We would like to thank our sponsors, who kindly supported the NOCA Annual Conference 2026.
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