THE CONSTRUCTION of a purpose-built rehabilitation unit in Galway means that patients from the west of Ireland will no longer have to make the long journey to Dublin for intensive rehabilitation services.
HSE West has submitted a planning application to Galway County Council for a 45-bed rehab unit on the site of Merlin Park University Hospital. A HSE West spokeswoman said this would be the first purpose-built facility to provide intensive specialist rehabilitation services in the west and it would complement the development of ambulatory care on the site.
"It will allow access to services in Galway that are currently only available in Dublin and long-established links with the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dublin will be fostered and maintained," she explained.
The new facility will provide integrated and co-ordinated specialist rehabilitation services across the age ranges, for conditions such as stroke and other progressive neurological or musculoskeletal disease, some spinal injuries and those requiring specialised rehabilitation following severe illness or surgery.
A comprehensive range of specialised medical, nursing and therapy expertise will be provided from the proposed rehabilitation facility. The building will comprise 45 beds, two pre-discharge apartments, and therapy suites for physio-, hydro-, occupational and speech and language therapy, dietetics and social work.
"All the residents will be able to congregate and interact throughout the building, which will have an abundance of natural light and ventilation, incorporating the aesthetic benefits of the Merlin Park site," the spokeswoman said.
The rehab unit is only one element of the plans for the development of the 75-acre site at Merlin Park University Hospital. The project includes a €25 million acute day services unit. The hospital will be developed largely as an elective, ambulatory care centre for the delivery of medical care, including pre-assessment, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation.
The general manager of Galway University Hospitals, Bridget Howley, explained thatthe majority of day and elective surgery that involves a one-, three- or five-day hospital stay would take place in Merlin Park University Hospital, unless the surgery was of a complex nature and it was more appropriate to treat the patient in University Hospital Galway.
Work is scheduled to begin in autumn 2008 on a residential children and adolescent facility for psychiatric services at the Merlin Park site. This facility will replace the St Anne's Children's Centre, currently located at Taylors Hill, Galway.
The HSE West spokeswoman said: "The primary aim of the unit is to provide a safe and structured environment for the young client in which they can be thoroughly evaluated and commence a therapeutic programme. The new facility will be purpose-built and equipped to meet the needs of the children and teenagers."
The main buildings will comprise a two-storey consultation and therapy block connected by a sports hall. There are also separate single-storey bungalows for child and adolescent residents, interrelated through courtyards, gardens and open walkways and organised around existing mature trees.
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