Now in its second year, the initiative is led by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in partnership with the HSE Spark Innovation Programme. Three innovation projects have been awarded bursaries as part of this year's RCSI High Potential Innovation Awards.

Now in its second year, the initiative is led by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in partnership with the HSE Spark Innovation Programme.

The winning projects are selected from ideas developed by participants on the Graduate School of Healthcare Management’s MSc in Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare, with each winner receiving funding and support to help develop their idea in partnership with their associated healthcare organisation.

The winning projects are:

• Grace Mae Figueroa: Safe Patient-Initiated Review for General Surgery Outpatients
• Shauna Fitzgerald: STAY (Support, Talk, Act, Your Experience)
• Jun Cao: Promoting Sustainable Waste Management Practices in the Oncology Clinical Practice

Dr Claudine Kearney, Programme Director and Senior Lecturer, RCSI Graduate School of Healthcare Management, said: “Healthcare needs to embrace opportunities for innovation that will enhance the delivery of care, save lives, and serve multiple stakeholders and society, with the ultimate goal that leads us all to better health, healthcare and well-being. The awarded projects have the potential to make a real difference to the field of healthcare and patient outcomes.

“RCSI MSc in Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare students Grace Mae Figueroa and Shauna Fitzgerald have shown once again that the programme is a powerful platform for developing new ideas. Grace has used the opportunity to develop her ideas on how to improve surgical outpatient capacity by scheduling appointments when they are actually needed, not just based on a time interval.

“Meanwhile, Shauna has looked at the problem of stress among newly qualified midwives and has mapped out supports and structures that aim to address the problem of midwives leaving the profession due to burnout. Congratulations to the recipients, and we look forward to supporting their continued progress in these important fields.”

Jared Gormly, Head of the HSE Spark Innovation Programme, said: “The Spark Innovation Programme is a frontline, staff-led initiative that supports, promotes and recognises innovation among healthcare staff, and we partnered with RCSI and its MSc in Leadership and Innovation and Healthcare to open up more space for healthcare workers to innovate, and to develop ideas that will lead to meaningful improvement in service delivery.

“Jun Cao’s winning project focuses on waste management in oncology clinical practice, and how to segregate cytotoxic [harmful to cells] waste from non-cytotoxic waste with the aim of boosting environmental sustainability and reducing waste. This is exactly the kind of practical, problem-solving approach that we have asked for, and it’s a great example of how HSE frontline staff are identifying challenges and developing solutions to improve care.”

Each winner will receive a bursary of €3,000. Two bursaries funded by RCSI Graduate School of Healthcare Management are open to all students enrolled on the University's MSc in Leadership and Innovation in Healthcare.

The third bursary, funded by HSE Spark, is open to employees of the HSE or a Section 38 organisation in Ireland.