In search of excellence in Irish health care

As in the world-wide context in recent years Irish health care has undergone much change, which has led purchasers and consumers alike to call for a more efficient and effective service. Many differing approaches are being utilised in an effort to become more responsive; however, only limited results have been shown. Thus, the search for excellence is both compelling and inevitable within the sector. Here one seeks to discern the elements that offer health-care institutions the chance to excel from an organisational perspective in their quest to become more responsive and patient-focused. Also provides details of some forthcoming research aimed at exploring the issues and outcomes of using the EFQM excellence model to support the search for excellence in Irish health care. A follow-up article with the findings will be published in a later issue of this journal.