An Coiste Feabhais Acadúil
The Committee on Academic Quality Improvement
Self Assessment
Review Group Visit
Follow Up Meeting
Sept 2002 to Jan 2003
4 th
February 2003
6 th
May, 2003
This Report was compiled for members of Údarás na hOllscoile, NUI Galway and its committees as a readily accessible but comprehensive source of information on the above review, its context and its outcomes.
Professor Jim Gosling, Director of Quality, July 2004

Report to Údarás – Review of Department of General Practice 2002–03
1.1
Aims and Objectives of the Department
Mission Statement:
To promote, encourage and support excellence in patient care, education, research and depevopment in general practice and primary care, and to encourage and support the development and well being of Departmental staff.
Vision:
Our vision is to be, with the support of our partners the North-Western and westrn Health
Boards, a recognized national and international centre of excellence in general practice and primary care.
Aims:
1.
To promote, encourage and support excellence in patient care in general practice and primary care.
2.
To promote, encourage and support excellence in education in general practice and primary care.
3.
To promote, encourage and support excellence in research and development.
4.
To encourage and support the development and wellbeing of Departmental staff.
1.2 Background
The Department was established and the present Professor and Head of Department appointed in
1997, and is supported financially by the North Western and Western Health Boards.
1.3 Programmes currently contributed to
MB
Diploma in Primary Care
Masters in Primary Care
H Dip in Midwifery
Masters in Health Psychology
H Dip in Oncology
H Dip in Palliative Care
RCSI Masters in Womens Health
M Med Sc
The Department also had one research student registered for a PhD degree.
1.4 Student numbers
Fulltime equivalent (FTE) student numbers in the Department were 13 in the year 2001.
1.5 Staff to student ratio
The number of fulltime equivalent academic staff in the Department was 2.8 in 2001 (including
1 Professor, and three part-time teaching staff, having been 1.00 in 1997, giving a staff student ratio of 4.7 in 2001, as compared to a Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty average of 15.
There were also two Secretary/Administrators, a full time Grade 3 and a part-time Grade 1.
1.6 Costs
The cost of the Department per FTE student (€3609 for direct costs and €5344 for all costs) was less than the Medicine and Health Sciences Faculty average (€6096 and €8044, respectively)
(2001 figures). However, because of the complexity of resource allocation to the Medical and
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Report to Údarás – Review of Department of General Practice 2002–03
Health Sciences Faculty, these figures and cannot be compared with confidence to those from other faculties.
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1.7 Accommodation and facilities
The Department is located mainly in the Clinical Science Institute on the University College
Hospital Galway campus.
This report arises from a visit by a review team to the Department of General Practice on 4 th
February 2003. The Department had already prepared and submitted a 'Self Assessment Report' that, with other documentation, was made available to the review team in advance of the visit.
The review team consisted of: Dr Margaret Cupples, Department of General Practice,
Queen’s University, Belfast (Chairperson); Professor Patricia Casey, Department of Psychiatry,
Mater Misercordiae Hospital, Dublin; Professor Peter Mc Carthy, Department of Radiology,
NUI, Galway; and Ms Marilla Keating as Secretary.
2.1 Summary, and Main Recommendations from Report
Staffing:
This Department’s teaching, research and clinical commitments are such that we would recommend the university should consider immediate ways of securing continued high standards in the delivery of these. The Department’s full potential may be realised by reviewing the two temporary contracts which exist currently (the undergraduate tutor and the co-ordinator in Primary Care), making these tenured and increasing the numbers of staff employed. Failure to attend to these considerations may mean that the delivery of the Department’s commitments becomes less than adequate.
Accommodation:
There is urgent need for creative thinking regarding the provision of adequate accommodation to provide proper space allocation, ventilation and lighting for current staff and for prospective additional personnel.
Central University Support:
Access to current information about financial accounts for which staff have responsibility must be provided. Attention should be given to identifying financial resources to support students in their practice attachments, adequately re-imburse GP tutors for their time spent in teaching, support research within the Department and involvement in postgraduate education and research.
The Review Group considers that this Department has an excellent record of achievement since its relatively recent beginning. We have highlighted recommendations, which we feel are crucial to its continued viability. Recognition of its needs by the University and provision for these will undoubtedly allow the Department to gain further national and international acclaim.
Suggested specific recommendations:
1.
The University must consider the potential instability of a clinical teaching department in which no-one except the professor holds a full time tenured contract.
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Report to Údarás – Review of Department of General Practice 2002–03
2.
More staff with tenured contracts should be appointed to allow the department to realise its full potential, continue delivering high quality undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and plan strategic development.
3 There should be written communications between the university and the professor regarding difficulties attendant in the current process of appointment of the Senior Lecturer.
4 A source of medical statistical support must be identified to support ongoing research and the submission of high quality research proposals for funding opportunities.
5 Appointment of a staff member with social science expertise would enhance research activity and facilitate teaching.
6 Alternative arrangements for staff accommodation must be made urgently: it is recommended that the solution should not result in the dispersal of staff to different locations.
7 A facility to allow staff with responsibility for budgets to have immediate access to information regarding these finances must be provided.
8 The university should consider ways of supporting departmental research activity, recognising that several potential sources of funding available to other university department s are not applicable to general practice.
9 Consideration should be given to identifying additional financial resources to support teaching, recognising inequalities regarding reimbursement of student expenses and of GP tutors’ time.
10 Postgraduate students should have access to St Angela’s library with similar privileges to those enjoyed by other NUIG students.
11 Adequate support for students to access central university library facilities using their own computers should be ensured.
Tuesday, 6 th
May, 2003
Present: Professor Jim Browne - Registrar, Professor Jim Gosling - Director of Quality (Chair),
Dr Tony Carney – Dean of Medicine & Health Sciences, Ms Marilla Keating - Review Group
Secretary, Professor Peter McCarthy - Review Group, Ms Maura Hiney – Office of the Dean of
Research, Professor Andrew Murphy – Head of Department, Ms Una St. John, Ms Molly Byrne,
Ms Victoria Ononeze, Dr Eleanor McCarrrick, Ms Maureen Linnane (of the Quality Office in attendance)
Note: With respect to two points raised in the Review report, the Department reported that the problems with on-line access to accounts via Agresso have been rectified. Delays in the process of student registration will be remedied by the full implementation of on-line registration later this summer.
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3.1 Action Plan for the Department:
1.
The Department will work to deliver training on basic clinical skills much earlier in the undergraduate curriculum with the objective of having this implemented for the 2003-04 academic year, and has prepared a report to the Dean on this issue.
2.
The Department will continue to work with the Human Resources Department and C.E.L.T. to promote and support the professional development and training of its administrative and academic staff.
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Report to Údarás – Review of Department of General Practice 2002–03
3.
The Head of Department will work with the Dean of Medicine and Health Science and the
Director of Development, with a view to engaging with the Galway University Foundation in seeking new external support for the long-term development of the Department in the context of the Faculty Strategic Plan.
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3.2 Action plan for University Management:
1.
The Registrar reported that the appointments of a Full time Senior Lecturer and a Part time
Lecturer to the Department have recently been approved. An additional half-time part-time secretary has also been employed.
2.
The Registrar will consider a joint proposal from the Department and the Centre for
Nursing Studies for the appointment of a staff member with primary care social science expertise. The proposed Department of Health and Children funding through the ‘Primary
Care Strategy’ will form part of the resources required.
3.
The Registrar will liase with the Department in relation to the conversion of existing contract posts to permanent posts.
4.
The Registrar will support the provision of additional accommodation (which probably will be external to the CSI and the UCHG site) as a short and medium term solution to the accommodation shortage in the Department.
5.
The Dean will work with the Department to identify and seek the resources necessary to make the pilot Programme on initial patient contact an integral part of the medical undergraduate curriculum, with a view to achieving this by the first semester 2003–04.
6.
The Dean will continue to endeavour to:
•
Achieve equality of support for students on placement in external centres
•
Recognition for the contributions of GP tutors
•
Bring about the creation of groups of departments within the Faculty to improve administrative and managerial efficiency.
7.
The Director of Quality will convene a meeting between the relevant people in the
Department of Statistics and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences to discuss the teaching of statistics and research design in departments within the Medical and Health
Sciences Faculty.
8.
The Director of Quality will work with the Department and the Librarian to:
•
Enable student access to Library resources from their own computers.
•
Resolve issues raised by students of the Diploma in Health Services (Primary Care).
9.
The Dean of Research will work with the Department/Faculty in providing/developing:
•
An information session on grant applications/proposals to the Millennium fund and to the main funding bodies, with emphasis on support for younger staff and for proposals involving other departments in the Faculty and University.
•
Appropriate support for contract staff wishing to establish a research programme.
•
Research methodology training.
•
A register of research projects in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science
Approved by: Head of Department, Professor Andrew Murphy, 30 May 2003
Approved by: Dean of Medicine & Health Sciences, Dr P A Carney, 23 July 2003
Approved by: Dean of Research, Professor Gerard Hurley, 23 June 2003
Approved by: Registrar, Professor James Browne, 18 June 2003
Finalised: 23 July 2003 Jim Gosling, Director of Quality
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