Cork north city hub recognised for age friendly health system

A Gurranabraher HSE hub providing support for older persons has become the first facility of its kind in Ireland to be recognised as an ‘Age-Friendly Health System – Committed to Care Excellence’ by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

The Integrated Care Programme for Older People (ICPOP) hub at St Mary’s Campus in Gurranabraher provides over 400 specialist multidisciplinary patient contacts per month. The team has been working since July 2025 to gain this accreditation from the IHI.

The essential elements of an Age-Friendly Health System are known as the ‘4Ms’, starting with “What Matters” – knowing and aligning care with each older adult’s specific health outcome goals and care preferences including, but not limited to, end-of-life care, and across settings of care.

The second m is for medication – if medication is necessary, Age-Friendly medications should be used that do not interfere with What Matters to the older adult, Mobility, or Mind.

Mind consists of preventing, identifying, treating, and managing dementia, depression, and delirium across settings of care, while mobility means ensuring that older adults move safely every day to maintain function and do What Matters.

Keith McGrath, the facility’s clinical lead, said: 

“The number of older people in Ireland is growing, which is a good thing in many ways. As we get older, there can be an accumulation of conditions we live with and an intensification in how they interact.

“The team in the Cork North City ICPOP Hub sees a lot of older people who may have complex medical conditions and often have more than just one problem or question when they come to the integrated care clinic.

“The 4Ms framework is a helpful structure as part of the overall comprehensive, or holistic assessment every patient receives, ensuring that it is person-centred and focused on what matters most to each individual person’s needs.

“Our goal is to support older people to live well at home for as long as possible, reduce hospital admissions, and improve quality of life and quality of care.”