The Greenhouse — Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital's Pathway to Excellence

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda became the second hospital in Ireland to achieve Pathway to Excellence — the international accreditation recognising nursing excellence, workplace culture, and shared decision-making. In this episode, Director of Nursing Adrian Cleary and Assistant Director of Nursing Áine Davern describe how the pursuit of Pathway helped their teams move beyond the fatigue of the pandemic and build something lasting — from a council structure Adrian calls "a greenhouse for new ideas" to a wellbeing programme that has changed the face of staff support at Lourdes. They talk about what it takes to lift nursing leadership out of the daily operational role and back to the strategic responsibilities their colleagues need from them. Four members of the nursing team — Cathy Clarke, Bijily Joseph, Nena Evalaroza, and Aoife O'Neil — share their own experiences of the journey, from the ward councils that gave frontline nurses a voice, to the day the hospital received the news. Credits: Adrian Cleary, Director of Nursing, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Áine Davern, Assistant Director of Nursing, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital Cathy Clarke, RANP Bijily Joseph, CNM2 Nena Evalaroza, CNM2 Aoife O'Neil, Clinical Skills Facilitator Interviewer: Marie Kilduff, National Clinical Leadership Centre for Nursing and Midwifery