100-bed rehabilitation and residential unit opens at Peamount Healthcare
A NEW 100-bed rehabilitation and residential unit at Peamount Healthcare in Newcastle was officially opened this week.
On Wednesday morning, the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly TD and the Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD officially opened the new Aberdeen Centre at Peamount.
The new facility has been named after Lady Ishbel Aberdeen, who founded the Women’s National Health Association in Ireland in 1907 and Peamount Hospital.
Located on the landscaped Peamount campus, with views of the Dublin Mountains, the new centre will allow Peamount to expand its core services in ‘post-acute rehabilitation, residential and integrated care’.
The Aberdeen Centre will provide 50 additional beds for consultant-led, interdisciplinary specialist rehabilitation, 25 for age-related services, 15 for neuro rehabilitation for under 65s and 10 for rheumatology rehabilitation patients.
Shona Schneemann, Peamount CEO, said: “This new facility will mean better patient experiences for residents and better outcomes for patients following stroke, trauma or hospitalisation.
The newly opened Aberdeen Centre is on the Peamount Healthcare campus
“It was designed with the needs of patients at the forefront, ensuring patients receive the required level of specialist medical, nursing and health and social care professional services in an environment which respects the dignity and privacy of patients as they are supported to achieve their personal rehabilitation goals.
“The 15 additional neurological rehabilitation beds are a particularly important addition, as this unique service can provide a level of intensive rehab at a specialist centre that cannot be provided at an acute hospital.
“We are incredibly proud of the work that all teams in Peamount have achieved and look forward to continuing to develop and expand rehabilitation services in this facility.”
Jointly funded by Peamount Healthcare and HSE capital funding, the Aberdeen Centre is surrounded by newly developed, wheelchair accessible sensory gardens and internal courtyards.
Inside the environment is described as ‘therapeutic,’ with light-filled, individual ensuite rooms and shared lounge and dining facilities.
Trevor O’Callaghan is the CEO of the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group, which includes Tallaght University Hospital.
“Improving specialist rehabilitative capacity in the greater Dublin area is key to the delivery of an integrated model of care which will provide continuity of patient care in the right place, and at the right time,” Mr O’Callaghan said.
Individual, ensuite rooms
“We have built a strong collaborative relationship with Peamount Healthcare, Tallaght University Hospital and Naas General Hospital to secure funding to address the capacity challenges that exist for our hospitals.
“The official opening of the Aberdeen Centre today demonstrates the true value in looking at integrated solutions that really place the patient at the centre of the care pathway.”
The official opening of the Aberdeen Centre, which was Health Project of the Year at the Irish Construction Awards 2020, was delayed until now due to the Covid pandemic.
The Aberdeen Centre is surrounded by newly developed wheelchair accessible sensory gardens and internal courtyards
Visiting Newcastle on Wednesday, Minister Butler commended Peamount for being a “demonstrator project” for the first Managed Clinical Rehabilitation Network in Ireland and the first of its kind nationally to provide level 2 specialist rehabilitation for those who have suffered a serious brain injury, trauma or stroke.
“This will help to free up much needed beds in acute hospitals and reduce the waiting list for the National Rehabilitation Hospital,” Ms Butler said.
Peamount Healthcare is an independent, voluntary organisation that provides a specialist set of healthcare and social services, funded by the HSE.
Concluding on the day, Michael Tutty, Chair of Peamount said: “Peamount is an example of the future of Irish healthcare, particularly in the areas of Specialist Neurological Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Strategy Implementation and Integrated Care.
“The Aberdeen Centre is the first phase of Peamount’s strategy to be an international trailblazer in delivering and promoting rehabilitation, ambulatory and integrated care services.”
