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Major new rehab hospital on the cards

Thursday, 12 June 2008

A new multi-million euro hospital facility has been earmarked for South Dublin.
The National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) applied for planning permission for a e200 million, 44,000 square metre facility on its site at Rochestown Avenue in Dun Laoghaire recently.
If approved, the new facility would almost double the current hospital’s capacity from 119 to 235 beds, reducing waiting lists for admission. It is estimated that the development will take at least four years to complete from the time construction gets underway.
A consultant in rehabilitation medicine and chair of the NRH’s medical board, Dr Aine Carroll, said the development, funded by the Health Service Executive (HSE), would create extra jobs in the hospital and when completed would be the largest rehabilitation facility in Europe.
“The development would provide a purpose built facility with a full range of neurological and prosthetic rehabilitation services, with the aim of enabling individuals with physical or cognitive impairments to lead as independent lives as possible,” she said.
“This new building would then enable us to achieve our goals of helping patients return to the highest level of function and independence possible, while improving the overall quality of life - physically, emotionally, and socially.”
The proposed redevelopment and architectural design in the planning application has followed over two years of research into medical rehabilitation centres across Europe, with both staff and patients at the NRH contributing to the design process. The chief executive of the NRH, Derek Greene, described the development as a “major milestone”.
“This could not have been achieved without the support and commitment of the staff at NRH who have played an integral part in the design process,” he said.
“Staff of all grades from across the hospital have worked with the design team to ensure the building is purpose designed to allow them to meet the individual needs of our patients. In addition, patients, their families, carers and voluntary groups have also had key roles to play in the design process.”
According to the lead project architect, Kevin Jackson, everything from ergonomics to the amount of light and space within the design would be critical in helping to transform the experience both for patients and staff.
“The creation of vertical therapy departments allows therapy to be provided adjacent to each in-patient ward,” he explained. “This enables ease of access for patients to their specific services, and creates an efficient working environment for staff.”
The design includes two buildings linked by glazed corridors.
“This creates a clear delineation between the rest environment of the ward and the work environment, reinforcing a key objective of rehabilitation - to re-establish and reinforce routine living patterns,” Mr Jackson added.
The NRH, which was founded in 1961, is the country’s only rehabilitation hospital for brain injuries. It also looks after people recovering from stroke and spinal injuries.

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