Volume 11 Issue 38 Spring 2016
Rotunda
WxÄ|äxÜç
The Official Newsletter of The Rotunda Hospital
News
Thank You
2
Management Team
New Beginnings
3
Friends of the
Rotunda
News and Events
4
Over to You
The Inca Trail
5
Birth of a Nation
1916 Easter Rising
Commemoration
Exhibition
6
Quality and Safety
Surveillance:
Discovering and
Recording Infections
in the Rotunda
7
Birth of a Nation
Round Up
Audit Day Winners,
Shared Vision,
Retirements,
Appointments,
Competition
Prof Fergal Malone (left) with Mrs Sabina Higgins (centre) and Ms Anne M. O’Byrne (right) at the launch of
Rotunda: Birth of a Nation
8
n March 6th, 2016, the Rotunda
Hospital, launched Rotunda: Birth
of a Nation, a commemorative 1916
centenary exhibition.
The evening was attended by staff, family
and specially invited guests including Guest
of Honour, Mrs Sabina Higgins, who formally
opened the exhibition.
The exhibition showcases the lives of five
extraordinary medical women at the Rotunda
Hospital during 1916, and acknowledges their
role and that of hospital staff during this
historic period in the history of Dublin city.
Mrs Higgins formally opened the exhibition.
With the Master, Professor Fergal Malone,
she was brought through the finely crafted
commemorative wall hangings and
memorabilia which were specifically
selected from private collections.
Mrs Higgins and guests viewed specially
commissioned video footage and newly
O
exhibited photographs held by the Rotunda, all
of which are on display for the duration of the
exhibition which runs 7th March to 31st March.
The evening included an array of guest
speakers who presented inspiring talks on the
history of 1916 and the role of the hospital.
Ms Sinead McCoole, Curatorial Advisor to the
project, commenced the evening lectures with
a captivating talk on Women and the Birth of
the Nation, followed by Anne MacLellan and
Stephen Ferguson, who spoke on Dorothy
Stopford Price and the working connections of
the GPO and the Rotunda Rink.
The underlying theme was the tenacity of the
workers during a period of turmoil and strife in
Dublin and the desperate social conditions
which affected the mothers of the time.
The evening closed with a canapé reception
and was a fitting start to an exhibition to be
remembered. For more information on
Rotunda: Birth of a Nation see page 6.
elcome to the first Rotunda Delivery
for 2016. Since our last publication
there have been many developments
both here at the Rotunda and within the RCSI
Hospital Group. The most significant from the
Rotunda’s perspective is that our new Master,
Professor Fergal Malone, has taken up his
new role and we look forward to supporting
him. Dr John Loughrey has been appointed
as Clinical Director and Dr Peter McKenna
takes on the role of Assistant Clinical Director
for Women and Children within the RCSI
Hospital Group. Mr Ian Carter has been
appointed as RCSI Hospital Group CEO
and we wish him well in his new role.
The Rotunda was privileged to have Mrs
Sabina Higgins as the Guest of Honour to
open our commemorative 1916 centenary
exhibition, Rotunda: Birth of a Nation in the
Pillar Room on 6th March. As 1916 and the
events of the Easter Rising fundamentally
changed Ireland as a nation its importance is
being commemorated here at The Rotunda by
this exhibition and a series of lunchtime talks
including the role of the hospital, its staff and
medical women throughout 1916.
The Executive Management Team provide
us with an update on key issues such as the
Rotunda relocation to the Connolly Hospital
campus and the work being undertaken by
the relocation project steering committee. The
Friends of the Rotunda provide an update on
their many recent fundraising activities.
In the Over to You section, Pauline Murtagh,
a member of the Catering Department, shares
with us her account of a truly cultural family
holiday to Peru. Pauline had the opportunity to
experience Peruvian culture, walk the Inca trail
and visit the Colca Canyon. I have no doubt
Pauline’s dream of a holiday of lifetime has
come true and that she has experienced a
holiday that is the envy of any hill walker.
In Quality and Safety we include an article
in relation to surveillance, discovering and
recording infections in the Rotunda Hospital.
The article emphasises the important role staff
play in such prevention.
Remember, this is your newsletter we are
always looking for staff to share their stories.
W
Kieran Slevin
Editor
Letters to the Editor
If you’d like to send a letter to the Editor, suggest a
subject to be covered in our next issue or even write
an article for us, please contact Kieran Slevin at
[email protected] or at ext 1777 or email
[email protected]
2
News
“
I wish to say a huge
“
Message
From the
Editor
Thank You
Received from a Mother after the birth
of her daughter in October 2015
o Dr Sam Coulter-Smith and all the Rotunda staff that I met during my pregnancy and
after the birth of my daughter, in the Rotunda on the 25th of July, 2015, I wish to say
a huge thank you.
Right from the moment you step inside the front doors of the Rotunda there is a lovely
atmosphere and attitude from the ladies working on the reception desk and the security guards.
This great attitute and atmosphere follow through to all parts of the Rotunda that we attended.
The care I received in the semi private clinic was outstanding. I was nervous throughout my
pregnancy due to a terrible hospital experience in 2010 (not in the Rotunda!) when our first
daughter was born and a number of unfortunate, but unavoidable, issues that arose in 2013
when our second daughter, was born in the Rotunda. On this third pregnancy several suggestions
were made to us to try and ensure I would be in good mental health after our baby was born.
Thank you to Ursula for helping me deal with my anxiety during the pregnancy, for introducing
me to mindfulness techniques that I continue to use and for guiding me through preparing a birth
plan to cover all eventualities. Thank you to Hazel for the yoga classes. I felt completely refreshed
and relaxed leaving class every Monday. Thank you to Sarah for the brilliant hypnobirthing
classes. Myself and my husband, found these so much more useful and informative than any
antenatal class we ever attended. Special thanks to Eileen, Jeannine and in particular Sarah for
looking after us when my anxiety levels soared during some of the classes. Sarah really went
above and beyond to accomodate myself and my husband. She was fantastic.
Thank you to all the midwives, doctors, admin staff and other staff that we met in the semi
private clinic during my pregnancy. Every one of you had a fantastic attitude and the clinic itself
has a warm, calm atmosphere making appointments all the nicer to attend. We never felt rushed
at any of our appointments and we were always given enough time to discuss any concerns we
had. Thanks to doctors Donal and Mark who we met towards the end of the pregnancy. Thank
you for affording me every opportunity to avoid induction while at the same time clearly
explaining to us what courses of action might become medically necessary to ensure my safety and
the safety of our baby. Thanks to midwife Michelle on the day ward for providing calm and
reassurance during the last few days of my pregnancy.
Thankfully our baby decided to arrive slightly early and I was able to spend the first part of my
labour in the comfort of my own home, unlike my previous pregnancies where I was admitted to
hospital prior to going into labour. Huge thanks to Pauline who looked after us on the pre labour
ward when we were admitted and Aisling who looked after us in the delivery suite that night.
You both played a big role in making this third labour and birth such a good experience (as did
our baby who behaved so well and did not go into distress like her sisters before her!). We are
sure that all of the preparation and care we received during the pregnancy helped a great deal
in ensuring we had such a positive experience.
The post natal care was also great. Particular thanks to Cathy for taking time to help me to
feed and to hand express ensuring that our baby had enough milk. We were delighted that she
did not require a neonatal admission due to low blood sugars as happened with both our previous
daughters. While thankfully they had a very minor issue compared to most of the other little
patients, the 24 hour separation from them played a part in my low mood after their births.
Myself and my husband are so grateful to you all that I am finally experiencing the happiness
of bringing home a newborn baby and feeling like my usual confident self and not the shell of
myself that I felt after having our first baby and the anxious mum I felt after having our second
baby. It has only been twelve weeks since our daughter was born, but already it feels like she has
been part of our family for a lot longer. They have been twelve very happy weeks and we look
forward to so many more happy years with our family. Thank you so much for all your hard
work in delivering a happy mammy to look after our three beautiful daughters.
It has meant a world of difference to us, and no doubt to our daughters too, to have a happy,
healthy mummy in the house.
T
The Rotunda Hospital accepts no responsibility for errors, omissions or views expressed herein. © 2016 Rotunda Hospital. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission of the Editor and the Publishers. Rotunda Delivery is produced by
Geraldine Walsh of the Rotunda Hospital Library and Information Service. Published by Rotunda Hospital, Parnell Square, Dublin 1. Tel: 01 8171700. Fax: 01 8726523. www.rotunda.ie
Management Team
he EMT is delighted to have this
opportunity to communicate with you
through Rotunda Delivery in its first
edition of 2016. In particular the Rotunda’s
new Master, Professor Fergal Malone, is very
happy to have this forum as one of many to
communicate with you. We hope that this
year will give us an opportunity to not only
continue with the long and excellent history of
care to women and babies but will also see
an expansion of our services in the wider
RCSI Hospitals Group setting.
T
New Beginnings
Rotunda Relocation to Connolly
The Minister for Health announced in 2015
that the Rotunda Hospital would co-locate
with Connolly Hospital and the Rotunda has
established a Relocation Project Steering
Committee to enable the move. Issues that
need to be considered include: best location
on the Connolly Campus for the new
Rotunda; what services can be shared and
how those shared services will be governed;
what is the model of care to be planned for;
what community supports will be required;
what staff resources are required. We intend
to have regular communications with staff to
keep you appraised on the progress.
L - R: Ms Margaret Philbin,
Prof Fergal Malone and
Ms Pauline Treanor
Transitional Planning
The timeframe to achieving re-location is
5 to 7 years. In the interim there is an urgent
requirement to maximise the use of existing
campus and resources to ensure the delivery
of safe and quality care, while transitioning to
a re-located site. We have to consider the
recommendations of the recently published
Maternity Strategy and areas such as model
of care, staffing (levels and skill mix), facilities
(configuration of space), and opportunities for
shared services. All planning must consider
recommendations emerging from HIQA and
HSE reviews in Galway and Portlaoise.
We have conducted a review of existing
services and staffing and it is evident that
considerable staff and skill mix shortages
remain at the Hospital. While a more detailed
workforce plan is required that will be aligned
with recommendations from the National
Maternity Strategy. We are progressing the
recruitment of three new Rotunda-Connolly
OBGYN consultants, two new RotundaConnolly anaesthesia consultants, and a new
RCSI-Rotunda academic OBGYN post. We
have also identified significant additional
midwife, theatre nurse, and NICU nurse
recruitment needs as well as other admin
and support services requirements.
Prof Fergal Malone
Master
RCSI Hospitals Group
Dr Peter McKenna has been appointed as
Assistant Clinical Director for the Women and
Children’s Directorate within the Group and
we wish him well in that role. In this role the
Group Clinical Directorate will take a lead
advisory/leadership role for maternity,
neonatal and benign gynaecology services
within the Group. We welcome the new RCSI
Hospitals Group CEO, Mr Ian Carter and look
forward to working with him in the continued
development of the Group objectives.
Rotunda Clinical Director
Dr John Loughrey has taken over as the
Rotunda Clinical Director and we wish him
well in that role. John’s focus for this year will
be on assisting the Master to implement a full
clinical handover system and to address the
medical EWTD compliance across the
hospital.
Budget 2016
We have received an initial allocation
of €45.984m which represents a 4.5%
(€2.203m) reduction from final out turn
expenditure in 2015.
The income target for 2016 (€19.125m)
is way in excess of what was internally
Ms Margaret Philbin
Director of Midwifery/Nursing
projected and represents an uplift of 6% on
2015 which is unrealistic and is a serious
concern. We have represented our concerns
to the CEO of the RCSI Hospitals Group.
Quality, Safety and Risk
We are delighted to advise that we frequently
get extremely good feedback from patients on
their experience in the Rotunda as evidenced
by a letter from a patient in this edition.
However communication difficulties is the
most common theme when we review
complaints and this is consistent with the
evidence of maternity service users throughout
the country as reported in the Maternity
Strategy. We will be focusing on a number
of approaches to assist staff manage patient
communication better. The objective is to
improve the patient experience and reduce
stress for staff in responding to a complaint or
other issues.
The Rotunda manages and fulfils its
requirements in respect to national guidelines
on Serious Reportable Events and we are
reviewing the process for managing such
reviews to ensure efficiency and to encourage
learning not only in the Rotunda but at wider
Group and national level.
Ms Pauline Treanor
Secretary/Group General Manager
3
Friends of the Rotunda
Fundraise for
the Rotunda
Fundraisers Eleanor Curran
and Shane Ó’Foghlú have so far
raised an incredible €23,671.43 in
loving memory of their twins Aidan
and Donnachadh to support the
Rotunda's Bereavement Support
Service.
Our sincere thanks to the 4th Year
Pupils of Our Lady's School,
Terenure, for sending us donations
of brand new baby clothes in support
of the Rotunda Hospital's Medical
Social Work team.
Congratulations to our fundraiser
Adrian McEneaney (centre) and
his friends Chris Dillon (left) and
Cathal McShane (right) before
their Charity 5K run at Christmas
to raise €215.50 in aid of NICU.
Give as
You Earn
We in BT have a Give As You Earn scheme where
employees give a monthly amount to a Charity fund which
the company match. This month we had a cake sale for
Friends of the Rotunda to support a friend who used your
services recently. The cake sale raised €600 and the Charity
scheme matched this to give €1,200. Your charity provided
great support to parents in their time of need and it was our
pleasure to support.
Pádraic Ó Conchúir - Commercial Finance, BT Ireland
4
Over To You
The Inca Trail
By Pauline Murtagh
Catering Officer
W
reached the Salkantay Pass. He invited us
to join him in the ancient ceremony. We held
three coco leaves and faced the sun, then
recited a prayer and blew the leaves while
making a wish. It was very emotional
especially because of the reverence Joeyll
had for the mountains. As a group member
finished reciting his prayer an avalanche
began. The sounds of the falling debris were
both frightening and beautiful as if the gods
were answering our prayers.
We hiked for a further three days until we
“
arrived at Calientes. From there we climbed
1422 steps up to the site of Machu Picchu,
reaching the temple just as the sun began to
rise. This ancient wonder had endured the
conquistadors due to its inaccessibility. The
intricate design of high stone structures was
dedicated to the God of the Mountain. Machu
Picchu is the greatest lasting achievement of
the Incan Empire.
To complete the Incan Trail was a dream
come true for my family and myself. A dream
I will never forget.
My husband, Harry, offered the boatman a shot
of whiskey, he slipped a drop overboard dedicating
it to Pacha Mama, the God of the Sea, who
provides him with water and his livelihood.
“
e arrived in Arequipa, Peru, not
knowing what to expect. As my family
and I stood in the town square we
were astonished by our first taste of Peruvian
culture. The square was filled with colourful
characters, all wearing traditional Peruvian
garb. They proudly celebrate their heritage
and spirituality. However, the El Misti
Mountain in the background dominates
the scenery. This mountain holds historic
importance to the natives, as it was an ancient
sacrificial site. The rest of our group consisted
of three Americans and a Canadian. This
terrific group of people, each looking out
for one another, made our journey an
unforgettable experience. This was the first
stage of the Inca trail.
Our next stop was the Colca Canyon, which
towers 3120 meters above sea level; this is a
test of altitude tolerance and it’s effects on the
group. The high altitude has a strange effect
with breathing becoming shallow and legs
becoming heavy and cumbersome. Colca
Canyon is also famous for its condors and
we were fortunate enough to observe two of
these magnificent birds.
From there we hiked to Lake Titicaca, the
highest navigable lake in the world at 3856m
above sea level. The lake is a glistening sea of
azure blue that holds several islands, each
island with it’s own individual identity. The
spirituality of the Peruvians is evident
everywhere. My husband, Harry, offered the
boatman a shot of whiskey, he slipped a drop
overboard dedicating it to Pacha Mama, the
God of the Sea, who provides him with water
and his livelihood.
The people came to these islands circa
1200 A.D. to escape the various invasions of
the Spanish conquistadors. Each island was
different. Uros was a man made floating island
built on a foundation of dried reeds. Amandari
was fertile and green and covered in terraced
buildings. Our final island was Tequila, famous
for its hand made textiles. All the inhabitants
could be seen knitting and weaving wool.
The next stage was a five-day hike to
Machu Picchu via the Salkantay Mountain.
On the second day our Peruvian guide,
Joeyll, performed an Incan ritual once we
5
Rotunda 1916 Exhibition
“
Birth of a “
Nation
We are delighted to be
part of this story and
invite you all to share
in it’s role in these
centenary celebrations.
- Anne M. O’Byrne
By Anne M. O’Byrne
Librarian
016 is an historic year in Irish history marking the centenary
of the Easter Rising and as such is being honoured by
Government organisations throughout Ireland. The Rotunda
Hospital is well placed to mark this occasion and has done so by the
development of its own exhibition - Rotunda: Birth of a Nation.
The exhibition, which was launched on March 6th in the Rotunda
Pillar Room, acknowledges the role of the hospital, its staff and five
prominent medical women throughout the events of 1916.
Through a series of never before seen images, diaries and specially
commissioned video footage, the public are introduced to the women
of the Rising at the Rotunda who went on to become prominent figures
in Irish history. They are Bridget Lyons Thornton, Kathleen Lynn,
Dorothy Stopford Price, Mary O’Shea and the Hon Albinia Brodrick.
It offers an intriguing insight into these women, from the well known
Kathleen Lynn, a member of the Irish Citizen’s Army whom she herself
described as a “Red Cross doctor and belligerent” to the little known
Mary O’Shea. Mary, originally from County Laois, witnessed the
surrender of the leaders of the Rising on the grounds of the Rotunda.
Through the exhibition patrons are welcome to experience the
desperate social conditions experienced by mothers and babies of
Dublin City and the remarkable women who cared for them in the
“district service”.
A weekly series of lunchtime talks are also free to the public during
the exhibition following the theme of medicine in 1916.
A joint effort, the exhibition has been collated by a multidisciplinary
group of Rotunda Staff under the lead of Head Librarian, Anne O’Byrne
and the curatorial advise of historian Sinead McCoole.
2
Mrs Higgins (centre) with the 1916 Commemoration
Committee at the launch of Rotunda: Birth of a Nation
Georgina Miller portraying Mary O’Shea at the launch
of Rotunda: Birth of a Nation
Rotunda: Birth of a Nation runs until Thursday, 31st
of March. The exhibition is free of charge and open to
the public.
Mrs Higgins (left) and Anne O’Byrne (right) exploring
the exhibition
The Exhibition is open Monday to Friday - 10am to 4pm Saturday & Sunday - 10am to 5pm until 31st of March, 2016.
Also Open on St Patricks Day and throughout Easter. Admission Free. Contact [email protected] for more information.
6
Quality & Safety
Surveillance
By Marian Brennan
ADOM/N, Infection Prevention and Control
he control of infections in a hospital
is very necessary and requires the
support of all staff. There are many
strategies involved in ensuring that infection is
prevented.
One of them is surveillance of infections.
The word surveillance comes from a French
phrase for watching over - sur means from
above and veiller means to watch. The Oxford
English Dictionary states Surveillance is the
monitoring of the behavior, activities, or
other changing information, usually of
people for the purpose of influencing,
managing, directing, or protecting them.
Surveillance of infection in a hospital is
done for the following reasons:
•
To detect changes in the pattern of
disease and measure outcome;
•
To reduce the amount of avoidable
infection and to identify high-risk patients
so that selective measures can be
introduced, and to ensure that control
efforts have their most cost-effective
outcome.
•
To recognize, by any unusual level
or change in level of incidence, the
existence or impending spread of an
outbreak, and to identify the appearance
of any particularly dangerous organism;
•
To assess the efficacy of the regular
preventative measures in use in the
hospital and to provide information for
planning.
Surveillance consists of the following
Data collection; Analysis of the data;
Feedback of the results to medical,
midwifery and nursing staff and others
involved in decision making.
The surveillance of infections in the Rotunda
is done by the Consultant Microbiologist, the
Microbiology Scientists and the infection
prevention and control (IPC) midwives
Discovering & Recording
Infections in the Rotunda
T
Data Collection
The data is collected by reviewing laboratory
records and routine visits to the wards.
Reviewing the laboratory results:
• Specific alert organisms are highlighted.
This would include organisms which are
likely to spread and could cause an
outbreak and infections which are
particularly severe or difficult to treat, such
as meningitis or blood stream infections
(bacteremias).
• Organisms which are resistant to certain
antibiotics such as MRSA
• All infections from the neonatal unit
• Communicable diseases including blood
borne viruses, sexually transmitted
diseases, food poisoning and childhood
infectious diseases (e.g. chicken-pox,
slapped cheek)
Routine visits to the wards by the IPC
midwives.
• The IPC midwives visits the wards and
takes details about the patients with
infections. They also review the patients
from the laboratory list and checks if the
patient has a true clinical infection. They
also determine if the infection is from the
community or if it was acquired in hospital.
• They also review the patients with severe
wound infections and check with the
laboratory if there are any samples from
them.
•
The also collect information about the
surgery such as was it planned or
emergency and if the woman had other
risk factors e.g. overweight, diabetic.
Analysis of the data
The data is analyzed by the IPC team and the
number of cases of each type of infection noted.
This is often presented using graphs.
Comparisons can be made from one three month
period to another. Common factors are reviewed
and potential risk factors identified.
The number of cases occurring in a particular
group at a given time is known as the prevalence.
The prevalence for different infections from other
hospitals is often published and the rates of
infection can be compared with other hospitals.
Feedback
Information on infections is presented to the
infection prevention and control committee
(IPCC) every three months and to the medical
and midwifery teams at in service and training
lectures. When risk factors are identified the
IPCC may recommend some changes in practice
to try and reduce the risk of infection.
7
Round Up
Up
Round
Audit Day Winners
Congratulations to all
Audit Day Winners.
Retirements
Kathleen Walsh, MCA, retired after nearly 21 years service in the
Rotunda Hospital. Kathleen was a stylish addition to our staff and
was extremely popular with all staff in the hospital. We wish her a
very happy and enjoyable retirement.
Congratulations to Mary Cairns who retired after 17 loyal years
service to the Rotunda Hospital. She will be missed by all of her
colleagues. We wish Mary health and happiness in her retirement
with her family and four legged friends.
Ellen Davis retired in January after 34 years in the Rotunda Hospital.
Her dedication and loyalty to the hospital was outstanding and we
send our very best wishes to Ellen for the future.
We say goodbye to Kathleen O’Donoghue after 3 years working as
a member of the Mental Health Team in the hospital and send our
best wishes for her retirement.
Anne McHugh has recently retired after 8 years working to develop
and improve Sexual Assault Treatment Services and Forensic Nurse
Education throughout the country. Anne’s commitment to this
specialised area was without equal and we congratulate her and
wish her well for the future.
1st Prize
Mary O’Reilly ADOM
Practice Development
Audit of IMEWS Completion
2nd Prize
Dr Claire Connellan
SHO Paediatrics
Documentation - Stick it,
Write it, Sign it, Stamp it
3rd Prize
Dr Sean Fitzpatrick
SHO Paediatrics
Audit to Assess Timing of
Ultrasound Screening for
DDH
Prize winners pictured
with Dr Sharon Cooley
and Neil Power - Abbvie
Appointments
Ms Laura Kelly has joined the staff of the
Hospital as our new Senior Dietitian. Some
years ago Laura worked with us on a locum
basis and has returned to us. We hope
Laura has a long and happy time here in the
Rotunda
Rotunda Hospital Research Study Day
Date: 2nd June 2016 Venue: The Pillar Room, Rotunda Hospital
Join us for this full day conference and event; a showcase for the
depth and breadth of exciting research being conducted in the Rotunda
Hospital today – research that improves the lives of parents and children
in Dublin, in Ireland and around the world.
Contact Cormac at [email protected] for more information
Well done
to Elizabeth
Iredale,
Out-Patients,
winner of the
competition
in the Winter
issue.
Win
To be in with a chance of winning a fabulous break in any
Irish Country Hotel for two with an evening meal simply
answer the following question:
Q: Name one of the five moments for Hand Hygiene?
Send your answers to Kieran Slevin, HR Dept, Rotunda Hospital, Dublin 1. Closing date
29th April 2016. One entry per person. Terms & Conditions apply. www.irishcountryhotels.com
Answer:
Name:
No:
8
A Shared Vision
By Venerable Gordon Linney
Rotunda Board of Governors
A
s a member of the Hospital Board I welcome
the opportunity to contribute to this edition of
Rotunda Delivery which fulfils such an
important communications role within the Rotunda.
In such a busy place it can be difficult getting to
know people especially for Board members who attend
meetings usually in late afternoon and rarely have an
opportunity to meet staff. The morning coffee meetings
held in the Hall have helped to some extent.
Throughout my time on the Board I have always felt
that while we have the ultimate responsibility for the
hospital, its patients and staff, our day job is to ensure
as best we can that the professionals have the means
to give optimum care to women and babies. An
important dimension of the Board’s work, together with
the executive team, is to represent the hospital and its
patients to outside bodies such as HSE and
Government, especially in these challenging times.
Board members, all of whom are unpaid, bring various
professional skills and experiences to their work. As
well as attending Board meetings some serve on sub
committees and working groups. Their reward is the
satisfaction of giving something back to society and
doing so in a prestigious and forward looking institution.
In looking to the future the important thing is to have a
shared vision: a new state of the art hospital on a new
site. That vision is entirely consistent with spirit of the
charter and the thinking of our founder Bartholomew
Mosse who, having begun his work in a disused theatre
in George’s lane, did not rest until he had provided
what was in his day a building ahead of its time.