New medical centre to be first of its kind in country

A NEW integrated advanced medical centre in Dublin announced yesterday will ensure that results of cutting-edge research and new therapies are delivered to patients more rapidly.

The Trinity Academic Medical Centre — the first of its kind in Ireland — will be established by Trinity College Dublin in collaboration with its major teaching hospitals, St James’s and Tallaght.

It will combine best practice in patient care with cutting-edge research and teaching in a single governance medical model based on world-leading healthcare centres.

The new single cohesive entity is a radical new departure from the present practice, where the three institutions deliver these activities separately, operating entirely independently of one another.

The three institutions, which have been actively pursuing this plan for some time, expect that the centre will be up-and-running in about 18 months.

The centre will have a larger concentration of leading consultants across the range of specialities, ensuring more expert care for patients for serious conditions.

It also aims to offer a highly attractive work environment for the most talented in the medical field.

Chairman of St James’s Hospital, Prof Tom Mitchell, said medical centres like the Mayo Clinic had shown that integrating advanced medical services, medical education and research in a single centre was the most effective way to achieve new breakthroughs and high-quality care.

Trinity College provides international leadership in research in areas such as immunology, neuroscience and cancer biology.

It is intended that the centre will eventually operate as a composite entity with a single board and mission.