The recent opening of a new LauraLynn hospice in Ballinasloe will allow for the provision of a palliative care support service for children and their families in the Midlands region.
From a base in Ballinasloe, specialised in-home hospice and palliative care supports will be offered to children and their families in the Midlands region, Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, acknowledged, as he opened the children’s hospice in the East Galway town.
The news comes as LauraLynn further announced that it has successfully undergone an Assurance & Accreditation programme with CHKS, a leading provider of healthcare intelligence and quality improvement services. LauraLynn is celebrating this achievement during Palliative Care Week, as it expands services to support more families than ever before.
In 2022, LauraLynn opened its first regional community-based Service in Mallow, Cork. The team based in Mallow provide a range of services to families in Cork, Kerry and more recently in Limerick. The demand for the service from families has been extensive with more than 1,000 home visits already completed by the team. Having reviewed the impact that the service is having on children and their families the charity is now planning to open a second regional community service from a base in Ballinasloe, Galway. The service in Mallow and the planned new service in Ballinasloe build on a long and successful history of the community service that LauraLynn has delivered in Leinster.
LauraLynn in the Community is an extension and enhancement of the care and supports available to families at the charity’s purpose-built facility in Leopardstown, Dublin. In 2022, following the establishment of the Mallow based community team to provide care and supports across Cork and Kerry LauraLynn saw a 139% increase in referrals across the service with a 100% increase in the Cork and Kerry region alone. The Mallow based team extended their reach to support families in Limerick in May of this year with strong demand for services coming from families across the county.
Similar to its Mallow and Dublin Community based teams LauraLynn will have a multi-disciplinary team working out of Ballinasloe providing care and supports to whole family units, including parents, siblings, grandparents, and the wider family across the Midlands, West & Northwest of the country. Medical care will be available in the child’s home along with additional palliative care supports including Music Therapy.
‘’We were delighted to welcome the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donelly, as we officially announce our new Ballinasloe, LauraLynn in the Community Service. This new community-based service ensures we can reach children and families who need LauraLynn support across the Midlands region. Following the opening of our Mallow based community service last year which now services families across Cork, Kerry and Limerick, Ballinasloe is an important step in bringing care closer to home for more children and families who need us so we can be there to support on the toughest journey a family can face,” Kerry McLaverty, CEO of LauraLynn, said.
Since opening in 2011, LauraLynn has cared for over 680 children and their families, with more than 500 families currently availing of care & supports. This figure also includes bereaved families who avail of bereavement supports and attend LauraLynn events.
