PRESS RELEASE

March 2008

New Cancer Day Unit is officially opened

It is with great pride and sense of achievement that the new state-of-the-art oncology day unit at Wexford General Hospital has its official opening on Friday, March 20th

When the Friends of Wexford General Hospital was formed in early 2006 it was quickly decided that a new dedicated oncology unit was the most pressing need. The old unit was cramped and ill-suited for its purpose. A new, purpose-built unit would allow staff much more room to treat patients as well as offering more comfortable surroundings and ensuring dignity and respect. “As you will see this morning the new unit has more than met this objective, accommodating all cancer day services provided by the hospital in one location. It has ten separate treatment bays for patients receiving chemotherapy as well as designated rooms, separate from the main treatment area, to ensure that both patients and relatives can meet in private with medical and nurse specialists to discuss their treatment,” the hospital’s General Manager, Lily Byrnes told those assembled. 

The Friends of Wexford General Hospital, made up of a group of hospital management, South East Radio personnel and local business people in Gorey, Bunclody, Enniscorthy, New Ross and Wexford, worked in partnership with the HSE to deliver this new unit. The €1M target was actually exceeded, rising to €1.7M. €1.3M of that was spent on the new unit. All surplus funds will be spent on improving patient care facilities for the people of the region at Wexford General Hospital. 

“The people who deserve the most credit today however are the general public, clubs, organisations and businesses, those people from throughout County Wexford and neighbouring counties who responded with phenomenal generosity to the fundraising campaign to help the Friends to achieve their target in record time. In a terrific show of community spirit, over 800 different fundraising events were organised in towns and villages, everything from coffee mornings and fashion shows to sponsored leg waxes and shaves, vintage tractor runs, concerts, cabarets and gala ball events. The culmination of their generosity and energetic involvement and the dedication of the Friends committee in spearheading the project, and their sub-committees in the various areas, is the fine building you see here today” Chairman of the Friends, Liam Dwyer said at the opening.


Credit also goes to the construction company, David Flynn who delivered the unit on time, built and finished to the highest standards. The design has allowed for the unit to have its own separate entrance, away from the main hospital entrance, and its own dedicated car park, while remaining connected to the hospital. 

The project management unit of the HSE has also to be commended for overseeing the construction phase to ensure that work progressed smoothly.

The opening was being marked with the unveiling of a plaque by the project’s patrons, Bishop Denis Brennan and Mrs. Mabel Leech. It will be followed by an ecumenical blessing given by the Bishop, the Chaplain of Wexford General Hospital Fr. Tom Keogh and Church of Ireland Rector, the Rev. Maria Jansson.

The unit opened to the public for viewing between 2 and 4 p.m. following the official opening. Patient treatment has now begun at the unit which stands as proud testament to the generosity and goodwill of the people of County Wexford and surrounding counties.

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July 7th 2008

New purpose-built unit on target to open in New Year

Construction on the new purpose-built cancer day unit at Wexford General Hospital is going well with the contractor on target to finish early in the New Year, hospital Manager Teresa Hanrahan said this week.  

“We’re really very excited about it, it will mean so much to patients and staff as the space we have at present is so cramped.  It’ll be of huge benefit,” she said.  Also, the issue of staffing doesn’t arise as the new unit will require no extra staff.  “Nothing will delay the opening of this unit.  Right from the start we agreed that there would be no extra staffing involved, the same number of doctors and nurses will work in the new unit.  After it’s built it’ll take a month to six weeks to fit it out and equip it so we hope to open in early spring” the hospital manager said.  

Someone else looking forward to the completion of the new unit is Consultant Oncologist Paula Calvert who assesses patients and designs treatment plans for them.  “I can’t even begin to tell you how much of an improvement the new unit will be,” she said.  With the numbers of people being diagnosed with cancer on the increase and a certain proportion of those referred to Wexford General Hospital to start chemotherapy, nurses at the existing unit have an average of 10 people a day for treatment, check-ups and blood transfusions.  “Each patient is in the unit for several hours each day so there’s a big demand on chair space,” Dr. Calvert said. “Our nurses are working out of a very small unit, doing the best they can, they provide an excellent service but from the patients’ point of view, comfort, privacy and safety will be much, much better with the new unit,” she added.  “It’ll be physically much larger, with 10 treatment bays, each with its own window, so the physical environment will be much improved,” she explained.   “At present relatives cannot sit with patients who may be connected up to drips for up to four hours, because of the lack of space, but they will be facilitated in the new unit.  I’ve been coming here for the past seven years and have found that we don’t get complaints about the patients’ experience in terms of staff, we get complaints about the infrastructure, the physical space in which patients’ treatment is delivered and I really think that improving on that is going to enhance patients’ experience of treatment at Wexford General Hospital .  From the point of view of comfort, privacy and allowing patients, at a vulnerable time to have a much better experience, I can’t tell you how much this is going to improve things,” she said.  

The unit has been made possible thanks to a phenomenal fund-raising drive spearheaded by the Friends of Wexford General Hospital.  Chairman Liam Dwyer explains: “The Friends of Wexford General Hospital was formed in early 2006.  It’s made up of a group of hospital management, South East Radio personnel and local business people in Gorey, Bunclody, Enniscorthy, New Ross and Wexford.  About 30 people are involved in all.  We launched our appeal in October 2006, working closely with the HSE with the specific aim of fundraising to build a new cancer day unit because such purpose-built facilities were badly needed.” 

“Over 800 fundraising events were held in every part of county Wexford and south Wicklow,” the Chairman explained, and in record time a whopping 1.8M euro was raised.  “It’s entirely thanks to the great generosity of the people who got behind the campaign,” the Chairman says, adding “it’s great to now see this project coming to fruition.  We look forward to it being opened in the spring so that patients can have the benefit of a much roomier and altogether more comfortable and private environment in which to have their treatment.”

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March 25th 2008

‘Friends’ hand over transport vehicle for cancer patients

The Friends of Wexford General Hospital are pleased to be in a position to provide a transport vehicle for the South East Radiotherapy Trust.

The vehicle, paid for by the Friends, was officially handed over to S.E.R.T. at Wexford General Hospital today.

S.E.R.T. was set up in 2005 to provide public radiotherapy facilities at Waterford Regional Hospital; one of their immediate goals is to alleviate transport problems for patients who need radiotherapy.

Former consultant physician at Wexford General Hospital Dr. Paddy McKiernan, a member of the Friends, said it’s a natural follow-on from the provision of a purpose-built cancer day unit at the hospital to help provide transport to Waterford Regional Hospital for radiotherapy services. “We’re so pleased that construction has started on the cancer day unit and this initiative perfectly complements the service we’re providing. Transport is a big issue for cancer patients who have to travel for radiotherapy. Taking that worry away from them leaves them free to concentrate on their treatment and care,” he said.

Gordon Watson, Chairman of S.E.R.T. thanked the Friends for funding the special transport vehicle. “We’re absolutely delighted as it means we’ll be able to start this valuable service between Wexford and the radiotherapy centre in Waterford. We look forward to the local community taking ownership of the vehicle now”, he said. They do need, and are actively seeking, volunteer drivers to run the service. “This is the first step in the provision of transport services in Co. Wexford for cancer patients and it’s been made possible by the Friends of Wexford General Hospital and Wexford Rotary Club. In the future we hope to put another, similar vehicle into service for the northern part of the county, taking them to radiotherapy services at St. Luke’s Hospital in Dublin”, the SERT Chairman said.

The Chairman of the Friends of Wexford General Hospital, Liam Dwyer, said "Few fundraising initiatives surpass their target so spectacularly and it is thanks to the people of County Wexford and South Wicklow that we are in a position to further enhance our cancer care facilities by supporting this transport service for the people of this region".

Wexford Rotary Club is also involved in the initiative, donating funds from a special fundraising concert earlier in the year to go towards the cost of the vehicle. “We’re delighted to have been in at the start and we’ll be remaining with this project, taking the lead with the committee to organise the drivers necessary to provide the service,” Michael Brand of Wexford Rotary Club said.

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