NOCA’s Annual Conference 2020 reaches record high with over 500 in attendance
The NOCA Annual Conference took place on Wednesday 12th February 2020, as part of RCSI’s Charter Week programme. The event saw over 500 healthcare professionals in attendance with national and international speakers and panelists. This years conference theme was 'Quality in Healthcare: Challenging perceptions'

NOCA’s Clinical Director Brian Creedon opened our fourth Annual Conference welcoming attendees from all areas of the healthcare system in Ireland, with representatives from hospitals, hospital groups, HSE, Department of Health, healthcare professional bodies, patient advocacy groups and many more.

The event saw the launch of two national clinical audit reports - Irish National ICU Audit Annual Report 2018 and Major Trauma Audit National Report 2018.
There were also three projects shortlisted to present for the NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2020. Ricardo Paco, Trauma Audit Coordinator, St James’s Hospital presented his project ‘CodeHip’, Helen Kavanagh, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, St James’s Hospital presented their project ‘Seven-day Physiotherapy Stroke Assessment’ and finally, our Winner of the QI Award Champion 2020, Muhammad Moazzam Gulzar, Registrar Emergency Medicine, Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, who presented their project ‘Paediatrics ECG interpretation checklist’.

We have also compiled a booklet of all 13 submissions for the NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2020 that can now be downloaded here .
Philip Barrett, a visual artist, graphically captured all of the presentations at the event.
A booklet of these visual can be downloaded here.
Video Recording
NOCA Conference 2020 - Session 1
NOCA Conference 2020 - Session 2
NOCA Conference 2020 - Session 3
All presentations from the day are now available below.
Speaker | Presentatiion |
Dr Conor Deasy, Clinical Lead, Major Trauma Audit | LAUNCH: Major Trauma Audit National Report 2018 |
Colette Cowan, Chief Executive Officer, UL Hospitals Group | That What is Measured Improves’ (Pearson) – UL Hospitals Story |
Brendan Martin, Managing Director, Buurtzorg Britain & Ireland | Should we trust healthcare professionals? |
NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2020 - Top 3 submission - Ricardo Paco, Trauma Audit Coordinator, St James’s Hospital | CodeHip |
Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite, Founding Director of the Australian Institute of Health Innovation & President Elect, ISQUA | Bending the quality curve - The long arc to safer, better care |
Dr Rory Dwyer, Clinical Lead, Irish National ICU Audit | LAUNCH: Irish National ICU Audit Annual Report 2018 |
Shaun & Gretta Fogarty | An ICU patient perspective |
NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2020 - Top 3 submission - Muhammad Moazzam Gulzar, Registrar Emergency Medicine, Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin | Paediatrics ECG interpretation checklist |
NOCA Quality Improvement Champion Award 2020 - Top 3 submission Helen Kavanagh, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, St James’s Hospital | Seven-day Physiotherapy Stroke Assessment in St James’s Hospital |
Paul Reid, CEO, HSE | Strengthening Accountability for Improved Health Outcomes |
Arthur van Leeuwen, Journalist, Netherlands | Benchmarking hospitals in the Netherlands – lessons learned in a broader perspective |
Professor Anthony Staines, Professor of Health Systems, DCU | Open data in healthcare - knowledge, control and accountability |
We would like to thank our sponsors and exhibitors for supporting this conference:
Sponsors
- Blackrock Clinic
- Cardiac Services
- DMF Systems
- IMSTA
Exhibitors
- National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre (NPEC)
- HIQA
- HSE
- National Quality Improvement Team (HSE)
- ISQua
- National Experience Programme
- Patient Advocacy Service
- RCPI
- Sage Advocacy
- Spinal Injuries Ireland