Plans outlined for proposed Newgrange Hospice in Louth

Plans outlining the proposed development of Newgrange Hospice on grounds of the Medical Missionaries of Mary and connected to Our Lady’s Hospital in Drogheda were revealed on Friday last.

A fully developed specialist palliative care unit (Hospice) comprises in-patient beds, out-patient services and bereavement services.  There are currently no inpatient services in the North East.

The proposed development, for which planning permission will be sought next month, has been widely welcomed by the HSE Palliative Care Services and The Medical Missionaries of Mary.

A number of parties have worked in getting the Newgrange Hospice to this stage including the Palliative Care Team in the North East under the leadership of Prof Dominic O’Brannigain Clinic Director and Eileen Caruthers, Director of Nursing, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital; HSE Estates and the Newgrange Hospice Charity as well as the Design Team led by McKevitt King Architects.

In Ireland, specialist palliative care services are delivered to provide integrated, high quality and accessible palliative care to patients and their families. Specialist palliative care is provided by multidisciplinary teams in acute hospitals, specialist palliative care inpatient units (hospices) and in community settings by community palliative care teams (homecare teams).

In 2023, there were 14 specialist palliative care inpatient units (hospices) providing a total of 276 beds across the country (an increase of 49 beds since 2020. Recent developments include the opening of new hospices in Wicklow (2020), Mayo (2019) and Waterford (2021).

The capital cost for Newgrange Hospice is being provided by a variety of benefactors.

The cost of staffing and running the Unit will be funded by the HSE submission.

When completed staff working in the unit will consist of the full multidisciplinary team of medics, nurses, health care attendants, social workers, pastoral care, pharmacy, physio, speech and language therapists and administration.

Carole Broadbank Chief Office acknowledged the commitment of Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to the project in particular his provision of over 1m towards the development of architectural plans and the planning application process.

Mr Noel Smyth described the building and the delivery of the Hospice as more needed and acute now than it ever was.

“The site of the Newgrange Hospice, connected to Our Lady’s Hospital in Drogheda is the right location and we are grateful to the Sisters of the Medical Missionaries of Mary for the generosity in the provision of the site on which to develop and build the Newgrange Hospice.

“We at Newgrange Hospice are delighted to be involved and supportive in delivering this project as we reach this key milestone of submitting an application for planning permission”, he added.

Prof Dominic O’Brannigain, Clinical Care Director Palliative Care spoke of the importance of such a facility for the area both from the point of service users, their families and the  staff working in the area of palliative care. 

He thanked everybody concerned in bringing the project to this stage including the Medical Missionaries of Mary, Mr Noel Smyth, the HSE and McKevitt King Architects.