Overview of Merlin Park University Hospital presented at Regional Health Forum Committee meeting

Ann Cosgrove, General Manager, Galway University Hospitals and Tony Canavan, Chief Operating Officer, West/North West Hospitals Group provided an update on Merlin Park University Hospital at a Regional Health Forum Committee meeting in Galway yesterday, Tuesday 28 January.
 
The purpose of the presentation was to give an overview of the hospital as it currently is and to provide details of medium and long term priorities for the hospital site.
 
Ann Cosgrove started by giving an overview of the current hospital activity. She said, “Merlin Park University Hospital (MPUH) is a model 2 hospital and one of two sites which makes up Galway University Hospitals. The other site is University Hospital Galway which is a model 4 hospital meaning that it has an Emergency Department, Intensive Care and Coronary Care Units, Cancer and Cardiology Services and other services which are provided on a regional basis. We are fortunate to have two hospital sites which perfectly complement one another with one set up for complex cases and to deal with emergency and intensive care patients and the other which is appropriate for non-emergency, elective, rehab care and outpatient services.
 
“MPUH consists of a number of stand alone buildings or units which house a variety of services such as medical outpatients, orthopaedic outpatients / physiotherapy, inpatient rehab services, renal dialysis, bronchoscopy day services and two long stay residential/respite units. The three storey hospital building known as Hospital Ground, Hospital 1 and Hospital 2 contains orthopaedic theatres and inpatient ward and an elective medicine inpatient ward. Also, there are non clinical buildings such as medical records, a food production facility, staff canteen, a shop/café, maintenance and plant rooms.
 
“In addition there are many community services located on the MPUH campus such as the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service inpatient unit, a Mental Health Acute Unit and Training Unit; Community Care (Occupation Therapy and Dental Clinics), Disability Services, Primary Care Services and a regional Podiatry Unit.
 
“As a level 2 Hospital, MPUH specialises in low complexity work which includes diagnostics, outpatient services, rehabilitation services, elderly care and elective medicine and surgery. The medium / long term priorities are to develop outpatient services further and transfer more of these services from the UHG site.
 
“In addition we are looking to develop a Rehabilitation Unit in the hospital block which will in turn free up a unit which will be developed into a Metabolic Medicine and Surgery Institute focusing on the treatment of bariatric patients (those whose overweight is causing significant related health problems). We are also looking to develop an elective Endoscopy Service in MPUH and to relocate Cardiac Rehabilitation services from UHG.
 
“The campus will also be used to further develop Community Services such as an enhanced Podiatry Service and a Mental Health Services Intensive Care Rehabilitation Unit.”