A&E Viewing Room transformed at Tallaght University Hospital

The newly transformed viewing room in the Emergency Department at Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) has been officially opened.

Funded through the Irish Hospice Foundation’s (IHF) and HSE’s Design & Dignity programme, the viewing room forms part of the Rosheen Suite, which also includes two refurbished family rooms supported through funding from the Adelaide Health Foundation.

As part of TUH’s commitment to the IHF’s Hospice Friendly Hospital programme, the Emergency Department Viewing room was redesigned and in 2016, following a successful submission to the IHF and HSE, Tallaght University Hospital was awarded a Design & Dignity grant.

The Rosheen suite comprises of two family rooms and a viewing room to care for relatives of deceased patients and/or critically ill patients. The viewing room provides a non-clinical space for families to be together, away from the busy emergency department. It is a quiet and peaceful room, centred round a beautiful piece of stained glass artwork created by artist Peter Young. The piece depicts a scene from the nearby Wicklow Mountains and is entitled ‘Nadur’.

Speaking at the opening, a member of the Emergency Department Staff said: “The environment is much better. It is now a peaceful and dignified space that I am proud to use. Before, it was so distressful using the room with no decent chairs for families to sit on.”

The TUH project team consisted of Ciaran Faughnan, TUH Executive Team and Director of Estates and Facilities, architect Ronan Rose Roberts, artist Peter Young, Yvonne Connaughton, Brendan Malone, ED staff and Ann Hickey End-of-Life Care Co-ordinator.

Mary Lovegrove, Design & Dignity Project Manager:  “Design & Dignity brings design excellence to hospitals where so many people spend their last days.  We’re aiming to create sanctuaries for patients and families at a very distressing time, and allow them the proper space and privacy they need. Thanks to the leadership and support of the HSE we have funded over 40 hospitals projects across Ireland to date”.

Hospitals can be very unhospitable places for newly-bereaved families. The IHF and HSE has funded over 40 hospital projects through Design & Dignity – including mortuary refurbishments and family rooms – to ensure dignity and privacy at this most difficult time. For more info: https://bit.ly/2R2ZqQx

The Irish Hospice Foundation is the only charity dedicated to dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. 80 people die in Ireland every day and the IHF believes everyone has the right to be cared for and to die with dignity and respect in the care setting of their choice. Our mission is to strive for the best end-of-life and bereavement care, for all. The IHF campaigns to make excellence in hospice practices, bereavement and end-of-life care a national priority and to stimulate the conversation about dying, death and bereavement in Ireland. The IHF receives core funding from Pobal from the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government’s Scheme to Support National Organisations 2016-2019.