Patients at the heart of everything we do

Branding isn’t something we normally pay much heed to when it comes to health. But as Caroline Whelan, CEO of new entity Blackrock Health explains, in this case it signifies a new strategic outlook and a new mission for a group of private hospitals that provides care to hundreds of thousands of Irish patients each year.

Officially launched on March 31st, Blackrock Health represents the joining together of Blackrock, Galway, Hermitage and Limerick Clinics under the one umbrella. Each of the hospitals will continue to trade under its own name and continue to deliver world class care and world class comfort. However, this new structure offers the potential for the group to be ambitious for the future, Whelan says.

“The group was created with the goal of uniting the four clinics so that we can work collectively, pool expertise and continue to achieve higher standards and better health outcomes for our patients,” she says.

Previously as chief operations officer of the Mater Private Network, Whelan was on the hospital floor and in the detail of bed and theatre management every day. Since becoming CEO of Blackrock Health last year, she has welcomed the opportunity to be more strategic and was instrumental in formulating the group’s new three-year strategic plan.

“I am delighted to be given this opportunity with such an extensive brief. Each of the hospitals already has a very strong reputation for delivering excellence in clinical care, taking a patient-centred approach and using cutting-edge developments in technology, but coming together as a group allows us to develop those specialties and services in an unprecedented way, with a significant geographical reach.”

Whelan worked with people across the entire group to determine the objectives of the strategy, as well as other stakeholders, such as GPs and private health insurers. “Our strategy reflects the sentiment of the company and the people in it, but it also reflects the needs of the partners we work with and want to work with more closely in the future. It is a three-year strategy that sets out a strong ambition.”

The new strategy has six pillars, each representing the group’s strategic priorities, she explains. “Patients are first, with patients at the heart of everything we do and every decision we make. Then there is clinical excellence, and we are looking both within and beyond our own walls and establishing relationships with other groups that represent clinical excellence, that we can grow with and learn from.”

The group is evolving its relationships with the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, the Royal College of Physicians Ireland and the Irish College of General Practitioners, among others, and also beginning to work with other international healthcare systems. “There is a symbiotic relationship there – we don’t just want to provide private healthcare, we want to support clinical excellence, industry and academia merging to provide better outcomes for patients,” Whelan notes.

Digital transformation

As is evident across the entire healthcare spectrum, an ongoing digital transformation is taking place, and this is also a strategic priority for Blackrock Health. “It has always been a focus of this group, and Galway Clinic is Ireland’s only HIMSS Level 6 hospital but we are now taking it to the next level. I believe our future lies in the management of big data and artificial intelligence to help us to identify, diagnose and treat patients.”

Whelan also speaks enthusiastically about people, saying the power of the group is in the power of its workforce. “Another pillar of our strategy is people as we want to be an employer of choice. Blackrock Clinic holds the Ibec Keep Well Mark for safety and wellbeing in the workplace and we intend to achieve this prestigious award across all four sites in the coming years.”

Sustainability may be a big buzzword, but by embedding it into the group’s new strategy, Whelan says this will allow the group to make big changes so that it can minimise the environmental impact of its activities. “We recently received an Eco Merit environmental certification in our three hospital sites but we have specific targets across the entire company. Hospitals are big users of energy, and we are conscious of that.”

'We will ensure we are easy to work with so that patients, GPs, the HSE, private health insurers and other partners find us frictionless at every point'

The final pillar of the strategy is growth, and Whelan says plans for expansion are well under way. “Our growth plans are ambitious but we also want to become more efficient and innovative at what we already do. This new entity has opened up opportunities for us and we will ensure we are easy to work with so that patients, GPs, the HSE, private health insurers and other partners find us frictionless at every point in the pathway. We understand we are part of a patient’s broader health ecosystem and we will ensure their journey is seamless.”

With a 2,800-strong workforce, as well as 600 consultants across 60 specialty services, the massive potential of Blackrock Health is evident. Whelan says her team is busy identifying the opportunities this presents for their suite of services.

“We are learning how to leverage the opportunity of that level of manpower, expertise and resources. We have a very supportive shareholder who has been a consistent investor for 19 years, and we have a very strong balance sheet which enables us to invest in innovation, technology and infrastructure and, most importantly, in the people who work here.”

While this planning takes place in the background, the initial focus will be on cardiology, orthopaedics, neurosurgery and emergency department care across the four sites. This was in direct response to the high demand for these services, Whelan explains.

“Blackrock Clinic has a long history of being a leader in cardiology, and cardiothoracic services are really growing and thriving in the Galway Clinic so we are building on that expertise. We are building a new cath lab in Blackrock Clinic because the two cath labs we have are almost at maximum capacity.”

Walk-in care

Blackrock Health is also establishing “Acute Cardiac Assessment” points in Blackrock, Galway and Hermitage Clinics, which Whelan says means people will be able to access a consultant appointment and testing on a walk-in basis. “To me, one of the most important elements of any strategy in health is access. The health system can be confusing, so our focus is on offering services that patients understand they can easily access whether they have private health insurance or not.”

Hermitage Clinic has the largest private neurosurgical department in Ireland and development of this specialty is a crucial offering for Irish patients.

As they look further into the future, Blackrock Health will work closely with the HSE and Department of Health as they plan their growth and expansion with a view to the needs of the wider health system. This close relationship, Whelan says, was one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic.

'Covid has taught us we need a healthcare system that embraces both public and private care. Both can and do work better together'

“Irrespective of the political landscape, public and private managers and clinicians have learned to work very well together and moved past the politics to look at the patient. There are natural links between the two systems, and these were strengthened as a result of that. We learned that we could support each other very well and that the political differences in our models are irrelevant – the patient is what’s important.”

This is exemplified by an endeavour towards a multiyear strategic approach whereby the Department of Health, the HSE and the private hospitals will work together in a more strategic way. Whelan says this is crucial, as the current relationship is “still very much a reactive one”.

“We need to understand the public requirement on a multiyear basis so that the private hospitals can plan to support in a strategic manner. Covid has taught us we need a healthcare system that embraces both public and private care. Both can and do work better together.”