Print PageMinister Reilly Officially Opens Raheny Community Nursing Unit
Monday November 05, 2012
~ 100 new beds to reduce numbers waiting on long term care~
Minister for Health Dr James Reilly T.D. today officially opened the Raheny Community Nursing Unit (RCNU) – a 100 bed facility to provide full time residential care for older persons. The new facility is located on the grounds of St Joseph’s hospital in Raheny which came under the management of Beaumont in 2004. The building was constructed and funded by the HSE and is now governed and managed by Beaumont Hospital. The commissioning of the Raheny beds places Beaumont Hospital as a lead provider of residential care in North Dublin. The Unit will assist in reducing the numbers of patients in the acute hospital system awaiting long-term care and facilitate older persons from the community being able to access residential care in a timely manner.
The Raheny Unit is purpose built and will provide highest quality, person- centred care for residents in a warm and friendly home-like environment. Beaumont has engaged an experienced nursing and health and social care professional team working with its consultant geriatrician team at Beaumont to ensure a model of care at Raheny that can manage a range of clinical situations without transferring patients to Beaumont.
Acknowledging the enormous benefit the new unit will bring to the area, Minister James Reilly said that he was of the firm belief that services for older people should be person-centred and promote self- determination. The Minister continued “I have every confidence that Raheny CNU will provide a model of residential care, capable of managing a range of clinical situations with their residents at the heart of all their considerations.”
Liam Duffy, CEO Beaumont Hospital said “Incorporating the Raheny Community Nursing Unit into Beaumont Hospital’s remit continues our provision of healthcare with a high performance focus. Beaumont is enhancing the provision of residential care within the community while focussing on quality of life. As always, Beaumont delivers this through our caring, quality focussed and innovative staff who are committed to on going delivery of person-centred care, continuous quality improvement and life-long learning in this speciality field.”
RCNU is a public community unit, where residents are funded through the Nursing Home Support Scheme. Residents of the RCNU have been admitted from the community, other hospitals and other residential settings both public and private.