Cork age-friendly hub is a first for Ireland

A HSE South West hub in Cork city that provides 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 Cork north city integrated care programme for older people (ICPOP) hub at St Mary’s Campus in Gurranabraher provides over 400 specialist multidisciplinary patient contacts per month.

Those involved with the Cork north city ICPOP hub programme have been working since July 2025 to gain the accreditation from the IHI, based in Boston, USA.

The IHI accreditation recognises the commitment of the team to providing excellent care in an age friendly way, while supporting older people to live well at home.

Eileen McAuliffe, operational team lead ICPOP north city hub, said all involved are delighted to see ICPOP Cork North City become the first age friendly health system ICPOP hub in Ireland.

“The age friendly health systems initiative is an important part of our overarching vision to provide every older adult with the best care possible, as close to home as possible," 

she said.

Central to the work of ICPOP Cork north city are the essential elements of the age friendly health system known as the ‘4M's. They are what matters, medication, mind and mobility.

Keith McGrath, consultant geriatrician at Mercy University Hospital and clinical lead ICPOP Cork north city added:

“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.

“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.”