St. Patrick's Hospital owes its origins to the inspiration of Dr. Patrick Murphy, who from his own experiences living and working in Cork, was well aware of the medical needs of the sick and poor of the city. He had been impressed with the work of the Sisters of Charity in Cork, especially during the Famine, and he bequeathed to them whatever remained of his estate on condition that they provide a hospital or room for incurable cancer patients.

St. Patrick’s Hospital opened its doors on the 14th September 1870, and admitted the first patients on the 29th of that month. Over the years, St. Patrick’s established itself as a centre of excellence and a key element of the health services in Cork, caring mainly for cancer and T.B. patients. Today it provides extended and respite services for older people, and a full palliative care programme in Marymount Hospice, a specialist unit established in 1980.

The Mission of St. Patrick’s Hospital is that of the Religious Sisters of Charity in all of their healthcare services, viz. to bring the healing love of Christ to the sick and poor in the spirit of their Foundress, Mary Aikenhead, and in keeping with the Mission of the Catholic Church. The Management and Staff at St. Patrick’s Hospital strive to provide healthcare services that foster their core values of Dignity, Compassion, Justice, Quality and Advocacy.

Mission Statement
Inspired by Mother Mary Aikenhead:

We continue the healing ministry of Christ by
Our care for all entrusted to us;
We cherish the uniqueness and dignity of each person;
We value and foster mutual respect and understanding;
We endeavour to continuously improve all aspects
Of our mission.

Governance Structure and Organisation
St. Patrick’s Hospital (Cork) Limited is a company limited by guarantee and incorporates St. Patrick's Hospital, which provides the services for older people, and Marymount Hospice, which provides the specialist palliative care services.

It is governed by a Board of Directors, who were initially appointed by the Provincial of the Sisters of Charity, but who elect subsequent directors themselves. The Board normally meets every two months, and has appointed several sub-committees to deal with specific areas of interest. These committees are as follows:-

Management Team
The Management Team consists of the Chief Executive Officer who has responsibility for the overall management of the hospital, the Finance Manager, the Human Resource Manager, and the Director of Nursing who is responsible for the Nursing Department.

The Chief Executive Officer’s areas of responsibility include Administration, Education, Paramedical Services, Household and Catering Services, Maintenance, Public and External Relations and Risk Management, and Financial Control, Information Technology, Payroll and Purchasing in conjunction with the Finance Manager, and Human Resources in conjunction with the Human Resource Manager. The Director of Nursing’s areas of responsibility include quality of care, admissions and discharges, and nursing staff and services.

Delivery of Service
Care of Older People is provided on three wards, St. Anne’s, St. John’s and St. Camillus’, and is comprised of Respite Care (18 beds) and Extended Care (46 beds).

Respite Care is a service whereby patients are admitted for short periods, normally two weeks, to give their primary carer at home a break. Access to this service is through the Geriatric Service in St. Finbarr’s Hospital, Cork. Limited access is available through the Public Health Nursing Service.

Extended Care service caters for both public and private patients. Admission to the public beds is through the Geriatric Service in St. Finbarr’s Hospital, after referral by General Practitioners. Admission to the private beds is arranged through the Director of Nursing.

Specialist Palliative Care is concerned with the care of patients with active, progressive and far advanced disease. The specialist palliative care programme consists of the in-patient service in Marymount Hospice, the Home Care service which operates from Marymount Hospice serving homes throughout Cork City and County, the Day Care Centre in the Hospice, the Education Centre, and the consultancy service provided by the Consultant in Palliative Medicine.

Patients should be enabled and encouraged to express their preference about where they wish to be cared for and where they wish to spend the last period of their life. The specialist palliative care programme at Marymount Hospice is structured so as to allow movement of patients from one care setting to another depending on their clinical situation and personal preference. Within the constraints of limited resources the programme tries to ensure that all appropriate patients may access specialist palliative care when and where such care is needed.

Programme Details
In-Patient Care service in Marymount Hospice is a consultant-led facility located on the first floor of the main building. It is a twenty-four bed acute unit. Staffed by a specialist team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, it provides skilled medical, nursing, paramedical and spiritual care for patients with serious and advanced illness.

The Home Care Service offers care and support to patients who choose to be cared for in their own homes. Working in close liaison with community-based medical and nursing service, home care nurses visit patients at home. The service is designed to complement the skills and resources of the patient’s own doctor and other health care professionals.

The Day Care Centre is located in the Hospice. The service is primarily directed at patients who are home-based, and presents them with an opportunity to get out of their regular environment, to meet other patients in a stimulating setting, and to access the services of the Hospice. It also gives carers at home a short break from their care duties.

Paramedical and Pastoral Services
The Physiotherapy Department’s services are limited at present to in-patient care and the Day Centre, and referral is from within the Hospital/Hospice. It is intended to expand the service to support patients in the Home Care programme.

Pharmacy services are provided by a part-time pharmacist, who is responsible for the procurement, storage and dispensing of all pharmaceutical products and the promotion of the safe, effective and economical use of drugs. The Pharmacy is for in-house needs only, and is not open to the public.

The Pastoral Care service is led by a Roman Catholic full-time Chaplain (non ordained), and provides help and support to patients, relatives and staff. The needs of other or non-denominational patients are also catered for.

The Diversional Therapy Department provides the opportunity for patients to socialise, to entertain themselves, and to get away from the ward environment on an informal but supervised basis. The service is available to in-patients five days a week.

The Family Support and Bereavement Counselling service is led by a Principal Social Worker. The service is primarily for patients, relatives and staff in Marymount Hospice, and provides support, advice and counselling to families and individuals coping with illness-precipitated crises.

Administrative and Support Service
Administration handles patient statistics and charges; personnel; freedom of information; health and safety; and secretarial services.

Finance deals with financial returns, traders accounts, budgets and the preparation of management accounts; pay, pensions and superannuation; purchasing and information technology.

The Education Centre acts as a resource on palliative care and conducts courses regularly on topics related to palliative care and the care of older people. Courses open to external students are advertised.

Maintenance deals with routine maintenance, contract supervision, waste management, garden maintenance and engineering stores.

Catering is carried out in-house under the supervision of the Catering Officer/Domestic Supervisor, with meals prepared centrally in the hospital kitchen, and distributed to individual ward kitchens. In addition, a coffee shop/restaurant is operated for both public and staff use.

All Housekeeping services are provided in-house by the domestic staff, laundry staff and a seamstress.