‘People’s hospice’ Marymount opens its doors

THE country’s most advanced palliative care centre and hospital threw open its doors for the first time yesterday to allow those who helped fund its construction to see how their money has been spent.

“The people of Cork deserve no less, as they will have contributed over half of the overall cost of the new hospital and hospice when it is opened,” said Kevin O’Dwyer, the chief executive of St Patrick’s/ Marymount in Cork.

Volunteers led members of the public on tours of the €58 million state-of-the-art facility in Curraheen on the city’s western outskirts throughout the day. The tours will continue over the coming days.

“Everyone passing the new facility will be truly able to say ‘that’s our hospice’. It simply could not have been built without the outstanding generosity of our supporters,” Mr O’Dwyer said.

May Callanan from Frankfield was among the dozens who took the tour.

“It’s absolutely beautiful. There is so much light and air. The level of comfort is fantastic,” she said.

Former Mercy University Hospital nurse, Helen Murray, said the facilities, particularly the hoist system in the rooms, and the bedside entertainment consoles, are “mind-boggling”.

Noreen Dalton, from Doughcloyne, described the facilities as “outstanding”.

“It will be very comfortable for people passing on to the next life. Hopefully I won’t see the inside of it for years,” she said.

The “people’s hospice”, set on a 12-acre site amidst rolling fields, will from next month replace the existing 63-bed St Patrick’s Hospital and 24-bed Marymount Hospice on the city’s Wellington Road.

There will be an additional 20 new beds in the new hospice, bringing to 44 the total number of hospice beds.

The number of beds for elderly care will remain at 63.

Terminally-ill patients will have spacious single rooms, which have been designed to ensure patient privacy and dignity, and which come with fold-out beds for relatives to stay there overnight.

Most of the new rooms are single-bedded and patients and residents will enjoy hi-tech bedside entertainment systems, including a touch-screen phone, their own personal balconies and en-suite bathrooms fitted with ceiling-level hoists that move from the bedroom to bathroom, and in-floor lighting.

The complex has a 100-seat education centre, a roof-top herb garden, a pharmacy, mortuary, chaplaincy, restaurant, day-care rooms and rooms for rehabilitation and therapy services, community-based services, family support and bereavement counselling, and a 200-space car park.

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland-rated building also uses solar panels to heat its water, and a wood-chip boiler to power its heating system.

The complex was designed by Scott Tallon Walker Architects, in association with Jane Darbyshire and David Kendall Ltd, who are specialists in hospice design in Britain.

The Health Service Executive committed €14m, Irish-American Chuck Feeney is contributing €10m through Atlantic Philanthropies, and St Luke’s Home contributed €1m.

But The Friends of Marymount, chaired by Regina Donnelly, have raised more than €24m for the project.

For information about fundraising events, contact The Friends of Marymount Hospice by emailing [e-mail]