Chairman’s Address

On behalf of the Meath Foundation I am delighted to welcome you to our web site and to give you an overview of our work.

The Meath Foundation is an independent voluntary registered charity based in Tallaght University Hospital. The Foundation was established as successor to the Board of the Meath Hospital on the transfer of services from the inner city to Tallaght in 1998.

Our mission is to carry on the best traditions of volunteerism in healthcare and to support Tallaght University Hospital as an internationally recognised centre for the advancement of medical science.

The Meath Foundation supports the hospital’s development through our funding programmes:

          Healthcare Research; Research Fellowships; Education; Quality Improvement; Arts in Health

We have been able to support some of the most talented healthcare professionals in the country through funding important research that has benefitted both the hospital and the wider community.

The Foundation acknowledges that the three main components of care in a major teaching hospital are Clinical, Teaching and Research.  We have helped maintain world class research in Tallaght University Hospital and Trinity College through our funding programmes.

The Foundation is also pleased to note that the research they have funded has resulted in not only higher degrees but promotion in the careers of the successful candidates.

Since 2002 The Foundation has:

• held an Annual Research Symposium to show-case Research and Education funded by The Foundation.
• funded 108 research projects totalling €4.375m. These research grants are in great demand as they often provide seed funding to encourage young/newly appointed staff to get on the research ladder and has led to larger research grants being awarded by outside agencies to some of our researchers.
• established a Research Fellowship programme in 2017 and awarded 2 Fellowships to date following a very keenly competitive process. The value of these Fellowships is €75,000 each.
• invested €350,000 in refurbishing the Meath Foundation Research Laboratory. Due to the many upgrades and additions there is a new sense of community within the Research Laboratory.
• provided financial support since 2014 for staff to undertake a Master’s programmes.  To date 27 staff have been awarded with MSc Fellowships.
• established a Quality Improvement Fund in 2014. Over the past 5 years €520,000 has been awarded to fund initiatives covering a range of topics that have made a difference to patient care.
• provided €240,000 in financial assistance to the Arts and Health programme. This programme is very much focused on the patient and on staff e.g. Art at the Bedside; Music Therapy and the provision of instruments; Writer in residence to facilitate creative writing workshops for staff and patients; Visual art trail to provide an improved environment along with Art Therapy.

In 2012 we published ’10 years on…. The Story of Research in Tallaght Hospital funded by The Meath Foundation’. This publication reprised some of the remarkable research that The Foundation has funded and is available from the Foundation Office.

The Foundation is an independent voluntary organisation. To ensure we can continue to support our funding programmes we need the continued backing of our benefactors and of the community. If you wish to help carry on the voluntary traditions of The Meath Foundation or would like to donate/leave a legacy, please contact the Foundation Office.

Remember that when you support healthcare research and education you are investing in the future and helping to secure the health of future generations.

Mairéad Shields
Chairman

December 2018