Unveiled: New high-tech ward at Temple Street Children's Hospital

The newly refurbished ward contains four isolation rooms equipped to deal with children who are particularly vulnerable to infection, like cystic fibrosis patients.

Dylan Doyle, aged 4, with Irish professional cyclist Dan Martin (Image: Andres Poveda).

TEMPLE STREET CHILDREN’S Hospital yesterday opened its upgraded 22 bed St Joseph’s/Top Flat Ward which was funded with almost €1.65 million in charitable donations.

The ward, which was opened today by professional Irish cyclist Dan Martin, had not seen any significant improvements since the 1930s and it has now been redeveloped into a mix of four and two bedded units with four isolation rooms.

Dan Martin with staff nurse Elaine McDonald and patient Hayley Mwende, aged 19 months (Image: Andres Poveda).

These rooms have been fitted with an air-pressurised controlled environment, essential for the treatment of young patients vulnerable to infection – particularly cystic fibrosis patients. One of the single rooms is also fitted out to monitor children with uncontrolled epilepsy.

Patient Hrishikesh Shenoy, aged 6, pictured with professional cyclist Dan Martin (Image: Andres Poveda).

The refurbishment also included the installation of a patient entertainment system fitted at each bed space and a satellite schoolroom was added to the new ward, which will facilitate patients from other wards who cannot who cannot access the hospital’s main schoolroom.

Dan Martin pictured with Bernie Priestly, the mother of one of the patients (Image Andres Poveda).

Bernie Priestly, whose 15-year-old daughter Tríona has cystic fibrosis and spends a significant amount of time on the ward said the new facility is “fantastic for us or any family that needs to be in isolation”.

For us it means coming into a safe place, something we were unsure we would ever see. It means that Tríona can focus on fighting the infection and not having to worry about picking up anything else is a dream come true.

Denise Fitzgerald, CEO of the hospital’s fundraising charity said it was only with the support of donors that this has been made possible as almost €1.65 million of the total €2 million cost came from donations.

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