My decision to sign the Compassionate Leadership Pledge, supported by the Board of Directors, is indicative of the hospital’s commitment to promote a culture within the hospital which is proud to epitomise the key behaviours of compassionate leadership, writes June Stanley, CEO of the National Rehabilitation Hospital. This culture includes listening attentively, understanding, empathising and helping our patients and staff, all those who engage with our services, and the wider health system as part of our core day-to-day activities.
Compassionate leadership in the health system is vitally important, now more than ever as we continue navigate through these challenging times. We at the NRH are proud to be part of this global move to become a kinder, more attentive, inclusive and considerate society.
This is particularly significant in the NRH as, in recent years, we have experienced unprecedented times which necessitated rapid and innovative responses by the hospital to continuous challenges and adjustments during the global pandemic. In parallel, development and building of the new hospital on the NRH campus continued, and patients and staff alike subsequently celebrated moving from the old suboptimal hospital building to the new world class hospital specifically designed to accommodate the needs of those requiring complex specialist rehabilitation services.
In response to a protracted period of significant organisational change, a precedent for the Compassionate Leadership Pledge was in place at the NRH – management and staff strive to foster a workplace that is supportive, inclusive and where every person feels valued and appreciated. This reflects the hospital’s person-centred values, its commitment to quality, and dedication to achieving best possible outcomes for patients.
To mark the signing of the pledge, the NRH formally unveiled a Memorial Garden Sculpture entitled ‘Spirit Sculpture’. This sculptured was designed as a result of staff expressing their wish to acknowledge the personal and collective loss suffered by many staff members and their families during COVID-19, while also commemorating the collective resilience, determination, commitment to others and hope in the face of a sudden and prolonged crisis.
As long as we continue to live and work in unprecedented times, the NRH will continue doing our utmost to care for our staff and, most importantly, the patients entrusted into our care, guided by the principles of compassionate leadership.
The National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) provides Specialist Rehabilitation services to patients from throughout Ireland who, as a result of an accident, illness or injury, have acquired a physical or cognitive disability and require a programme of specialist rehabilitation. Services at the NRH are delivered to both Adult and Paediatric patients. The NRH is the only hospital of its type in the country – it is fully publicly funded.
Phase One of the long-awaited New Hospital Development on the campus of the NRH is now open and fully operational. This unique project is the first purpose-designed rehabilitation facility to be built in Ireland. The enhanced environment in the new hospital contributes towards patients achieving optimum outcomes from their Rehabilitation Programme. It enables staff to deliver services in a new and innovative environment designed specifically around patients’ needs delivered by Interdisciplinary Teams. The redevelopment and architectural design follows intensive research into the best rehabilitation services and facilities internationally. Our focus now is to ensure that Phases Two and Three of the planned development of the NRH Campus are delivered as a priority.
