Kilkenny’s St Luke’s Hospital was delivered some positive news this week when it was confirmed that some €13m funding is to be made available in order to enable a number of priority capital developments at the hospital.
The priority developments include work on a new emergency department, a new medical assessment unit and a new day services unit.
The emergency department will include a waiting area, triage area, three bay resuscitation area and separate paediatric resuscitation bay all with X ray facilities, an eight cubicle major treatment and examination area, a separate paediatric treatment area, a minor treatment area and a bereaved relatives room. Ancillary clinical support accommodation will also be provided. The emergency department will be at ground floor level and have separate entrances for ambulant and ambulance patients.
The medical assessment unit which has a briefed area of 290m2 will be located adjacent to the emergency department so as to facilitate the effective operation of both departments. The principal areas of accommodation will be two four-bay assessment areas, two isolation rooms, a treatment room and support accommodation.
The day services unit including endoscopy will be located at first floor level and will provide accommodation for patients attending for, endoscopy, day surgery including general surgery and gynaecology, Medical investigations and treatment, dental surgery and procedures undertaken on a day case basis.
The principal elements of the accommodation will include 24 trolley bays, two single treatment rooms, two procedure rooms, two endoscopy rooms, a 10-patient discharge area and support accommodation.
The concourse and entrance will allow the development to be linked to the main hospital complex and will be required to access CT and other diagnostic imaging facilities and also the route to admit patients to ward accommodation.
The link at first floor level will be used to transfer patients attending for day procedures from the new Day Services Unit to the Theatre block and back following recovery.
The area identified for the development is currently used as a staff car park, and it will be necessary to relocate this car park as an extension to the existing car park, which is already at capacity.
This significant funding of €13m will see this development proceed to tender with some enabling works carried out in 2011 and work commencing on site in the first quarter of 2012, taking 15 to 18 months to complete.
Pat Healy, regional director of operations, HSE South welcomed the significant funding announced by Minister Phil Hogan earlier this week.
He said: “I very much welcome today’s announcement by Minister Phil Hogan confirming the €13m funding for the new emergency department, medical assessment unit, day services unit and concourse at St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny and I wish to thank him for his ongoing support of the hospital and services in Kilkenny. I also want to thank the management and staff at St Luke’s for their continued excellence in the delivery of services to the people of Kilkenny, Carlow and the surrounding areas. This is a very positive and much welcome announcement for the hospital and these priority developments will be progressed without delay. ”
Dr Garry Courtney, clinical director at St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny was also thrilled with the news.
“This is very positive news for St Luke’s Hospital and for the dedicated and professional staff who work here and the patients we care for.
“Confirmation of funding by Minister Hogan to proceed with these priority developments is very much welcomed. We are delighted with the new emergency department and the acute medical assessment unit but are especially pleased that the new day services unit will deliver on a promise we made to the late Susie Long who campaigned so hard for such a facility. The new Unit will enable the hospital to provide endoscopy procedures [including colonoscopies] for patients without undue delay and also increase the hospital’s capacity to meet the ever increasing demand for these services into the future.”
