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Biography

Dr Sara Burke is Research Assistant Professor of Health Policy in the Centre for Health Policy and Management, in the School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin. She is the Principal Investigator of project entitled 'Health system foundations for Sláintecare implementation in 2020 and beyond - co-producing a Sláintecare Living Implementation Framework with Evaluation: Learning from the Irish health system's response to COVID-19'. This is a HRB Applied Partnership Award which runs until the end of 2022 thanks to successfully getting a HEA COVID extension fund in 2021. This APA project started with its focus on the implementation of the regions but changed direction in 2020 in order to harness learnings from the COVID-19 health system response to inform the implementation. Dr Burke currently leads the team reporting on Ireland for the European Observatory Health Systems COVID-19 response monitor) (https://www.covid19healthsystem.org/mainpage.aspx. Prior to this, she coordinated 'Mapping the pathways to universal healthcare' - http://www.tcd.ie/medicine/health-systems-research/. In the first five months of 2017, Sara and her team worked with the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare, who had a remit to develop a ten year plan for healthcare reform in Ireland - http://www.oireachtas.ie/parliament/oireachtasbusiness/committees_list/future-of-healthcare/ Prior to the Pathways research project Sara was a post-doc researcher on the Resilience of the Irish health system during the economic crisis. Sara is the lead on the health policy module on the SPHERE programme http://www.sphereprogramme.ie/ and the Centre's MSc in Health Services Management https://www.tcd.ie/medicine/health_policy_management/postgraduate/msc/ and teaches health policy for the Global Brain Health Institute. Sara has worked for more than 20 years as a researcher in and of health policy. Her book entitled Irish Apartheid, Healthcare Inequality in Ireland was published in 2009. She writes regularly on health system for the national newspapers and for seven years from 2008 to 2015 had a weekly health slot on RTE Radio 1's Drivetime programme.

Research Tags

Health Care Policy Health Care Reform Health Planning/Policy Health policy Health policy analysis Health system reform Healthcare Policy Implications POLICY ANALYSIS Public Policy Public Policy Systems Analysis RESEARCH POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Research Projects

Project Title

Health system foundations for Sláintecare implementation in 2020 and beyond - co-producing a Sláintecare Living Implementation Framework with Evaluation: Learning from the Irish health system's response to COVID-19

From

01-09-2019

30-05-2022

Summary

All over the world, health systems are responding to the major shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus is causing urgent and fast-paced change in the delivery of health and social care as well as highlighting pre-existing deficiencies and inequalities in the health system and broader society. In Ireland, COVID-19 is occurring during the second full year of Sláintecare's implementation - Ireland's 10-year plan for health reform to deliver universal access to timely, integrated care. This research will coproduce a Living Implementation Framework with Evaluation (LIFE) linking evidence, policy and practice that feeds into real-world Sláintecare implementation. In partnership with senior leadership in the Sláintecare Programme Implementation Office, the Department of Health and the HSE, the researchers will scope, document, measure and analyse the Sláintecare relevant COVID-19 responses using qualitative and quantitative methods. The LIFE will initially take the form of a live spreadsheet which contains the COVID-19 responses most relevant to Sláintecare. For each response, 3-4 indicators will be collected which enables monitoring overtime. The spreadsheet will be accompanied by a series of rapid reviews, narrative descriptions of multiple case studies, research papers, stakeholder engagement and formative feedback. These collectively make up the 'LIFE', informing dialogue with the project partners, which is happening in real time (living), influencing health policy and system decision-making and implementation as the project progresses. The LIFE will inform health system reform in Ireland in the months and years after the emergence of COVID-19 as well as contributing to international health systems and policy research.

Funding Agency

Health Research Board

Programme

Applied Partnership Award

Project Type

Health system implementation research

Person Months

Project Title

Mapping the Pathways to Universal Healthcare in Ireland

From

01/10/2014

01/10/2018

Summary

Ireland is unique among its European counterparts in that, unlike them, we have no universal access to healthcare. Since 2011, both Programmes for Government have committed to the goal of universal healthcare. Building on our prior work for the Resilience project, the Pathways project is mapping a potential pathway or pathways to universal healthcare through the three components of the research project: - Assessing the gap between current Irish health system performance and universal healthcare, using and adapting World Health Organisation concepts; - Evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different models of universal healthcare and assessing their feasibility of implementation within the current context according to key criteria such as affordability, human resources and complexity of design; - Assessing the organisational challenges of moving to universal healthcare by reviewing the experience of other countries and exploring the current capacity and constraints facing decision makers throughout the system.

Funding Agency

Health Research Board

Programme

Health Research Awards

Project Type

primary research project

Person Months

Project Title

Resilience of the Irish Health System: Surviving and utilising the economic contraction

From

01/01/2011

01/01/2014

Summary

A new government came to power in Ireland in March 2011. Included in the Programme for Government were the most radical proposals for health policy reform since the foundation of the State in 1921. The new government promised to undo the unequal, unfair two tier system of healthcare, specifically committing to 'access to medical care based on medical need, not income'. It specified over 80 health policy commitments including free GP care for all by 2016 and the introduction of Universal Health Insurance during a second term in office. All this was pledged during the most severe economic crisis experienced by Ireland since the 1930s which led to significant budget cuts including cuts to the health system. The Resilience project 2011-2014 gathered a range of indicators to monitor how the health system coped during the crisis, as well as, carrying out qualitative interviews with key policy makers, politicians and health service leaders. A specific website http://www.medicine.tcd.ie/resilience4health/ was set up to disseminate information and findings from the project.

Funding Agency

Health Research Board

Programme

Health Research Awards

Project Type

primary research project

Person Months

Representations

Details	Date
Publication of an opinion piece for the Irish Times entitled 'Whatever happened to Sláintecare?' in the aftermath of the publication of a report into negligent care provided by the South Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Team. https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/whatever-happened-to-sl%C3%A1intecare-1.4792060	03/02/2022
I acted as special rapporteur at the health session of the Irish Government's 2021 National Economic Dialogue, this session was co-chaired with the health minister Stephen Donnelly and I. More https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f49b5-national-economic-dialogue-2021/?referrer=http://www.gov.ie/ned/	23-06-2021
Opinion published in Irish Times https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/sl%C3%A1intecare-resignations-leaves-hse-to-drive-healthcare-reform-1.4680106	22-092021
Publication of an opinion article in the Irish Times entitled Election 2020: How are parties going to implement Sláintecare? https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/election-2020-how-are-parties-going-to-implement-sl%C3%A1intecare-1.4160580	04-02-2020
In 2016/17, I coordinated the research team (with prof Steve Thomas as PI) which won a tender to provide technical support to the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare. This work resulted in the publication of the 2017 Sláintecare Report https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/32/future-of-healthcare/	30-05-2017

Publications and other Research Outputs

McAuliffe U., Whelton H., Harding M., Burke S., 'Toothless""the absence of political priority for oral health: a case study of Ireland 1994"2021, BMC Oral Health, 22, (1), 2022, Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI

Burke, Sara; Parker, Sarah; Fleming, Padraic; Barry, Sarah, Thomas, Steve, Building health system resilience through policy development in response to COVID-19 in Ireland: From shock to reform, The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, 10, (100223), 2021, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100223], Journal Article, PUBLISHED URL

Burke, Sara, Thomas, Steve, Stach, Malgorzata, Kavanagh, Paul, Magahy, Laura, Johnston, Bridget, Barry, Sarah, Health system foundations for Sláintecare implementation in 2020 and beyond " co-producing a Sláintecare Living Implementation Framework with Evaluation: Learning from the Irish health system"s response to COVID-19. A mixed-methods study protocol, HRB Open Research, 3, 2021, p70 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI

Unruh L, Allin, S, Marchildon, Burke, S, Barry, S, Siersbaek, Thomas, S, Selina, R, Andriy, K, Alexander, M, Merkur, S, Webb, E,Williams, GA., A comparison of health policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemicin Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America , Health Policy, online 1 July, 2021, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.06.012], Journal Article, PUBLISHED URL

Barry, S, Ní Fhallúin, M, Thomas, S, Harnett, PJ, Burke, S. , Implementing Integrated Care in Practice - Learning from MDTs Driving the Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons in Ireland, International Journal of Integrated Care , 21(1):15, ((1) ), 2021, p1 - 11, Notes: [ http://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.4682], Journal Article, PUBLISHED URL

Thomas,S, Johnston, J, Barry, S, Siersbaek, R, Burke, S., Sláintecare implementation status in 2020: Limited progress with entitlement expansion, Health Policy, 2021, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.01.009], Journal Article, PUBLISHED URL

Snell, M, Nicksica, N, Panteli, D, Burke, S, Eissenberga,T, Fattored, G, Gaucie,C, Koprivnikarf, H, Murauskieneg, L, Reinaph, M, Barnes, A., Emerging electronic cigarette policies in European member states, Canada, and the United States, Health Policy, 2021, Notes: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.02.003], Journal Article, PUBLISHED URL

Nolan Ann, Burke Sara, Burke Emma, Darker Catherine, Barry Joe, O'Connell Nicola, Zgaga Lina, Mather Luke, Nicolson Gail, Dempster Martin, Graham Christopher, Crowley Philip, O'Connor Cliodhna, Tobin Katy, Scally Gabriel, Obstacles to Public Health that even Pandemics cannot Overcome: The , Irish Studies in International Affairs , 32 , (2 ), 2021, p225 - 246 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI URL

Siersbaek Rikke, Ford John Alexander, Burke Sara, Ní Cheallaigh Clíona, Thomas Steve, Contexts and mechanisms that promote access to healthcare for populations experiencing homelessness: a realist review , BMJ-Open, 11 , (4 ), 2021, pe043091 -, Journal Article, PUBLISHED TARA - Full Text DOI URL

Siersbaek, R; Ford, J; Ní Cheallaigh, C;Burke, S;Thomas, S., Making healthcare accessible for single adults with complex needs experiencing long-term homelessness: A realist evaluation protocol [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]., HRB Open Research , 2021, p1-17 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED DOI

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Sara Burke, The Irish health system - what sort of system do we have and why - tracing Irish health policy developments , RCSI HSE Executive Skills Development Programme plenary , RCSI, 22/1/2020, 2020, RCSI , Notes: [https://www.rcsi.com/leadership/executive-development/clinical-directors-programme], Invited Talk, PUBLISHED

Sara Burke, Universal Health care in Ireland in the context of the proposal of Universal Basic Services , A Just Transition, How do we tackle heat, greed and need? , Maynooth University , 28022020, 2020, Department of Sociology, Maynooth , Notes: [https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/news-events/just-transition-how-do-we-tackle-heat-need-and-greed Michael D Higgins attended this event ], Invited Talk, PUBLISHED

Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin

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Dr. Sara Burke

Dr. Sara Burke

Research Assistant Professor (Public Health & Primary Care)

burkes17@tcd.ie

https://www.tcd.ie/medicine/staff/burkes17/

Biography

Research Tags

Research Projects

Representations

Publications and other Research Outputs

Publications