St Patrick’s Mental Health Services and University College Cork announce a strategic partnership to enhance pharmacy-related research and clinical collaborations
A newly announced strategic partnership between the Pharmacy Department at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services and the School of Pharmacy at University College Cork (UCC) will see the two organisations come together over the coming five years to advance research and clinical training in mental health pharmacy.
Through a wide range of collaborative activities, the partnership aims to foster innovation and enhance collegiality.
Central to this partnership are the facilitation of clinical teaching for pharmacy students at UCC and the advancement of evidencebased research into mental health difficulties, with the goal of improving service user outcomes and informing best practices in mental healthcare.
Speaking about the partnership, Ciara Ni Dhubhlaing, Chief Pharmacist at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services, said: “In our most recent organisational strategy, The Future in Mind 2023 – 2027, St Patrick’s Mental Health Services reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing evidence-based understandings of mental health difficulties through research, and to supporting individuals and organisations committing to work in mental healthcare in their training and education. This partnership with UCC signifies a significant step forward in a shared vision of improving education, training and research.
“By working together, we will leverage our collective strengths to drive innovation in clinical
training and to pioneer new research as we strive to improve outcomes for service users and inform best practice in mental health services. We look forward to the opportunities this partnership brings and the positive impact we envisage it will have on advancing pharmacy practices in mental health.”
The partnership between St Patrick’s Mental Health Services and University College Cork will enable a wide range of activities including:
• Research: The partnership will support research into mental health and enhance evidencebased knowledge.
• Clinical teaching: Dedicated administrative links will be established to oversee integrated clinical teaching and research between both organisations.
• Professional development: Both organisations will facilitate mutual professional development, ensuring continuous learning opportunities and growth for staff members within St Patrick’s Mental Health Services and UCC, and pharmacy students.
• Sharing expertise: There will be active exchange of information and consultation on matters of mutual interest, fostering informed decision-making and collaboration. Staff from both organisations will establish and strengthen collaborative links, sharing expertise and resources to enhance capabilities.
Professor Helen Whelton, Head of the College of Medicine and Health, UCC said: “This new partnership with the innovative St Patrick’s Mental Health Services perfectly aligns with our UCC strategy to strengthen our collaboration with the health sector through an academic health sciences model. It embodies the vision of University College Cork by connecting and empowering individuals across academia and healthcare services to create and share knowledge. By focusing on those facing mental health difficulties, we are confident that this strategic alliance will significantly enhance pharmacyrelated research and clinical collaborations. This endeavour will yield substantial benefits, improving patient care and health outcomes across hospitals, primary care and the community, while contributing to the creation of a more inclusive and compassionate world.”
Professor Laura Sahm, Vice Dean of School of Pharmacy, UCC said: “I am thrilled to be part of this exciting new partnership, which will form part of the transformation of UCC’s research culture. This will be achieved through the implementation of engaged research and open research with clinicians at St Patrick’s Mental Health Services. I would welcome other UCC colleagues to join in this collaboration and see how we can effect positive change with personcentred research and learning.”
This partnership announcement comes as St Patrick’s Mental Health Services continues to progress its Academic Institute, which, established in 2022, will be progressed into an international research centre, pioneering research in the field of mental health. The Academic Institute of St Patrick’s Mental Health Services will play a crucial role in investigating and enhancing mental health treatments and evidencebased practices by collaborating with key partner organisations.
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