The National Rehabilitation Hospital has received planning approval and has secured the funding required to complete Phase 1 of the planned new hospital development on its existing campus in Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, writes Rosemarie Nolan.
This positions the NRH as the First Major Healthcare Project to be granted approval by An Bord Pleanála through the Strategic Infrastructural Development Process.
Earlier this year, the National Rehabilitation Hospital received planning permission from An Bord Pleanála for Phase One of a significant capital development on the campus of the existing hospital in Dún Laoghaire, County Dublin. In August, Minister Leo Varadkar confirmed that a further €15 million has been allocated for the redevelopment of the NRH. This development, which is a partnership between the HSE and the NRH Foundation, will see the existing ward accommodation at the NRH replaced by a new 120 bed facility including integrated therapy, sports and hydrotherapy areas. The facility will be purpose built, specifically to accommodate the needs of patients requiring complex specialist rehabilitation services and will comply with best international practice and SARI guidelines.
The facility will be purpose built, specifically to accommodate the needs of patients requiring complex specialist rehabilitation services and will comply with best international practice and SARI guidelines.
The Minister’s announcement of this increased exchequer allocation, in addition to the NRH’s contribution, will enable the HSE and the hospital to now proceed with the work and build the new 120 bed facility with integrated therapy areas.
Welcoming this additional exchequer funding Minister Varadkar said, ‘the NRH is an important health facility providing a significant service. The additional funds allocated will allow for a large redevelopment of the hospital.’
Minister Varadkar and Minister Lynch have recently visited the hospital with local representatives Ms. Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD and Mr. Eamon Gilmore TD to meet patients and staff and see first-hand the vital work taking place there.
Deputy Eamon Gilmore TD said “The National Rehabilitation Hospital is a landmark institution. It is part of our history and, with this major redevelopment of the 120 bed facility, it marks a new phase in our future – a future where health services are built around the needs of patients, at every stage of their rehabilitation and recovery. The development of a world class rehabilitation hospital for Ireland has a key role in this objective, and it is a statement of our values, even in these straitened times.”
NRH Chairman, Mr. Kieran Fleck welcomed recent developments stating “We look forward to having a world class building designed to meet the needs of all our patients in terms of receiving the best quality care and treatment in a facility which affords dignity, respect and privacy to all. It will be a major enhancement to rehabilitation services in the country and will have a direct and significant impact on patient recovery by providing an optimal ward and therapeutic environment for their treatment in the NRH.”
Commenting on the plans for the new hospital, Dr. Jacinta McElligott, Chairperson of the NRH Medical Board said “This new building will enable us to achieve our goals of helping patients return to the highest level of function and independence possible, while improving their overall quality of life – physically, emotionally, and socially.”
Ms. Siobhán Bonham, Senior Project Manager for the NRH Project said “This major milestone could not have been achieved without the support, dedication and commitment of the staff at the NRH who have played an integral part in the New Hospital project. Staff of all grades from across the hospital have worked tirelessly with NRH Health Planning Team and the appointed Design Team, in partnership with the HSE, to ensure the building is purpose designed to enable staff to meet the individual needs of our patients”.
The Minister’s announcement of this increased exchequer allocation, in addition to the NRH’s contribution, will enable the HSE and the hospital to now proceed with the work and build the new 120 bed facility with integrated therapy areas.
An architect led Design Feasibility Study has been completed on behalf of the HSE which demonstrates that the hospital can continue to provide the existing level of services at all times during the redevelopment.
The planned completion date for the new hospital unit is 2017.
The National Rehabilitation Hospital is the only such dedicated hospital in the country providing complex specialist rehabilitation services for people who have acquired disabilities through accident, injury or illness. Consultant led Specialist Rehabilitation is delivered through comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services. In recent years referrals to the hospital have increased as a result of general population increases and survival rates for patients treated in acute hospitals due to advances in medical technology.
Rehabilitation programmes at NRH are tailored to meet the individual needs of adult and paediatric patients in the following areas of specialty:
- Brain Injury (including traumatic and non-traumatic brain injury, other neurological conditions and stroke)
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Prosthetic, Orthotic and Limb Absence Rehabilitation (POLAR)
- Paediatric-Family Centred Rehabilitation
Many patients will have a life-long relationship with the hospital’s outpatient services, following completion of their in-patient rehabilitation programme.
The NRH is accredited by CARF (Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation), which is an International Accrediting body which currently accredits over 39,000 Programmes in over 5,000 organisations in the USA, Canada, Europe, and South America.
For further information contact: Rosemarie Nolan, Communications Manager
Tel : 235 5217 / Mob: 086 1744 839 / e-mail : rosemarie.nolan@nrh.ie
