Professor Stiofan de Burca—Director of the Health Systems Research Centre at UL—spoke at the opening of the conference, which saw a prestigious panel of speakers presenting Irish, UK, European, and Canadian perspectives on the evidence, myths, rhetoric and conventional wisdom that frequently informs health policy positions.

Professor Roger Downer, President Emeritus of UL, urged the Irish academic community “to become more proactive in engaging with policy makers and practitioners in generating rigorous and relevant evidence”.

“This is key to a more informed debate on essential and reliable health care for our citizens,” he added.

Professor de Burca outlined fundamental issues that are inadequately addressed in adopting and implementing policy and changing practice.

These included the polarisation of State and market approaches in funding and providing healthcare, the need to adopt a new way in the light of the failure of certain models, the adoption of more appropriate leadership styles and change management processes in complex health care systems.

Professor K Walshe, Health Policy and Management, Manchester University and Research Director of the UK Department of Health`s National Institute for Health Research Service Delivery Programme, described progress in bringing research evidence to bear on policy makers and managers in decision making in the British NHS.

This was complemented by TCD`s Professor Charles Normand`s view from The European Health Observatory on evidence, conflicting objectives, compromise and political expediency.

Other speakers included: Dr R Boyle of the IPA; Canada`s Mythbusters representative, Jenny Thornhill; Sara Burke, journalist and health policy analyst and Dr. Edel Conway, DCU.