Mark Regan, CEO of Kingsbridge Healthcare Group, has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to the healthcare sector across the island of Ireland.
Mr. Regan accepted the award at the inaugural All Island Private Healthcare Excellence Awards which took place recently in Belfast, and also recognised the exceptional clinics, practitioners, service providers and private hospitals providing outstanding care throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Mark joined Kingsbridge, which now operates four private hospitals with two in Belfast, and others in Derry/Londonderry and Sligo, in 2005 after several years as a radiographer with the NHS and in medical innovation with Phillips. He was part of the team that sold the first CT Scanner to 3fivetwo Healthcare, which later became the Kingsbridge Healthcare Group.
The highly esteemed independent judging panel, headed up by Dr Tom Black FRCGP, were keen to recognise Mark’s continued drive and mission for the private sector to supplement the NHS as it continues to face daily challenges.
The Private Healthcare Excellence Awards were founded by one of Northern Ireland’s leading NHS GPs and owner of two private health clinics, Dr Carla Devlin and Sarah Weir, Managing Director of Weir Events, with expert guidance from clinical advisor Dr Jenny Addley.
Dr Devlin commented; “We set up the Awards to facilitate collaborative, cross border shared learning opportunities, and help shine a light on practices and individuals who are delivering outstanding care and sharing improved medical knowledge North and South of Ireland. Everyone in the room on Saturday night, and beyond, will know of Mark Regan’s passion and commitment towards access to healthcare across Ireland.
“Mark has been a pioneer in revolutionising not only private healthcare services through Kingsbridge, but also the provision and access of such services, communicating how those needing non-urgent care can advocate for themselves and access it efficiently. He is an advocate for both the NHS and private services, and has demonstrated a respect and learning for both that we can all aspire towards.”
Kingsbridge Healthcare Group recently signed a new agreement with Vhi, Ireland’s largest health insurer, that will enable its 1.2 million members to access Kingsbridge’s services in Belfast, a move that brings the accessibility of cross border care to so many more.
Vhi was also a winner on the night, picking up the awards for Excellence in Patient Care, one of the most hotly contested categories, for its Hospital at Home services in Dublin, and Mental Health Initiative of the Year for their Paediatric Mental Health Occupational Therapy Services in Dublin.
Alanna Denny, Paediatric Clinical Nurse Education Facilitator at Vhi Health & Wellbeing also won the Nursing & Midwifery Project of the Year for the Essentials in Paediatrics project.
Marble Arch Health picked up the Excellence in Cross Border Collaboration award for its Project Healthcare Without Borders operation in Enniskillen, providing all-island expert care and support for women dealing with complex health issues.
Other winners on the night included Dr Patrick Campbell for Excellence in Female Healthcare and Gentle Dental & Implant Clinic in Newry, which took home both the Excellence in Patient Care (Cosmetic Medicine/Dental) and Dental Practice of the Year awards. Anna Gunning of Cosmed Medical Aesthetics Training Academy in Dublin was recognised with the Excellence in Leadership award, and Dr Steven Kinnear of Dundonald Consulting Rooms in East Belfast won Excellence in Patient Care (General Practice).
Newry Private Clinic won Medical Clinic of the Year while Loughview Health, Lurgan won Private General Practice of the Year and St. Vincent’s Private Hospital, Dublin won Private Hospital Innovation of the Year. (See full list of winners and highly commended in notes to editors.)
The winners were decided from an independent judging panel which was made up of experienced healthcare professionals and leaders within their respective fields, and chair of the panel, Dr Tom Black FRCGP says it was an educational opportunity for all in the industry to learn about innovations, services and facilities for even more collaboration in the future.
“From reading through the entries to meeting with our peers in the room during the awards ceremony, there was a clear enthusiasm to progress and build the private healthcare sector as one across the island of Ireland.
“As we have witnessed throughout this process and for many years previous, there should never be borders when it comes to access to healthcare, and all of our finalists and winners tonight have shown their commitment to working with their local NHS and HSE colleagues to provide a robust service that is driven by patient care.”
The judging panel included Professor Ken Addley OBE MD, Dr Tom Black FRCGP, Dr Tham, Professor Rita Devlin, Mark Taylor, Dr Nick Young, Dr Aideen Keaney, and Dr Joe McEnhill.
Also on the panel from the health and business sector was Amy Kelly, Chief Operating Officer at Crohn’s & Colitis Ireland; Suzi Murtagh, Principal Product Leader at Allstate and John Healy OBE, Chair at Invest NI.
Sarah Weir, MD at Weir events added; “On behalf of myself and fellow co-founder, I would like to say a huge congratulations to all of our finalists, highly commended and winners from Saturday night. We are delighted to highlight their professionalism and passion for their services and patients and are proud to bring the incredible care they bring to millions of patients each year into focus.
“We would also like to extend our thanks to all of our event partners who have helped us make the Private Healthcare Excellence Awards such a success in its inaugural year.”
The Awards were supported by gold partner, Carson McDowell; event partner, Ebrington Medical and category partners, Visit Belfast, Church Pharmacy , Body Talk Live, Berkeley Healthcare Group and S3 Creative.
The awards were hosted by Pamela Ballantine MBE, with a stand up set from comedian and broadcaster, Andrew Ryan, while a DJ set from Q Radio’s Ibe Sesay rounded off the evening.