Dr O’Donnell
The West / North West Hospitals Group has recently appointed Dr Colm O’Donnell, consultant radiologist at Letterkenny General Hospital, as one of four clinical directors to advance the integration of the hospital group and to provide leadership for training and education across the Group.
Dr O’Donnell will lead the Diagnostics Directorate (incorporating Radiology and Laboratory Medicine).
The existing Group governance structure has been streamlined and now a total of four clinical directorates will manage the clinical specialties across all hospitals.
Bill Maher, CEO of the West / North West Hospitals Group commented, “One of the Group priorities was to strengthen the governance structure across all hospitals in the Group and the new directorates will be responsible for providing high quality and equitable services for all patients based on excellence in clinical practices and teaching and to support the principle that the care of the patient comes first at all times.
“The Clinical Directors are responsible for implementing the national clinical care programmes, developing service plans and setting performance targets. This will lead to improved quality and performance and will ensure greater efficiency by involving the appropriate medical, allied health professionals, pharmacy, nursing, administrative and support service staff working together as one business unit.
“The Clinical Directors will also play a key role in quality and safety by implementing the national standards for better safer healthcare, conducting regular clinical audits and implementing the risk management and complaints procedure in each directorate.
“An interim Chief Academic Officer, responsible for developing a structured and integrated approach to education and training for all healthcare professionals in the Group, has also been appointed. Duties include establishing a Graduate Medical Education Department to co-ordinate Non Consultant Hospital Doctor and Consultant training and creating a system of support/mentoring for all trainees.
“The role will also involve working closely with our academic partner, NUI Galway to ensure a cohesive and integrated approach to undergraduate medical, nursing and allied health professional education.
“I wish Colm and the other new appointees the best of luck with their new roles and I look forward on reporting on further developments at our public Board Meetings that will take place in Roscommon on 03 June and in Mayo on 02 September.”
Dr Colm O’Donnell is a Consultant Radiologist in Letterkenny General Hospital with a special interest is musculoskeletal imaging. Originally from Loughrea, Co Galway, he was educated at St Brendan’s National School and St Raphael’s Secondary School. He attended Medical School at UCD and worked in general medicine for several years in Ireland and England. Subsequently he trained in Radiology in Wales before returning to Ireland in 2010.