Patient Services

Today, The Royal Hospital Donnybrook (RHD) provides hospital care for people requiring rehabilitation, respite, complex continuing care and day hospital services. The total service provided is characterised by teamwork involving medical, nursing and therapy expertise including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, clinical psychology, nutrition and medical social work.

The RHD is an independent charity primarily funded by the HSE. All services are provided on a public basis only; the hospital does not accept patients on a private basis. Any charges made are in line with government policy. As all people aged 70 or over are entitled to a medical card, the hospital does not charge for rehabilitation services provided to older people.

Broadly defined, the hospital provides services for people who have:

Cerebrovascular accidents (50%)
Multiple Sclerosis (and other neurological disorders) (20%)
Sequelae of trauma (15%)
Osteo and rheumatoid arthritis (15%)

In addition, the Day Hospital caters for the needs of up to 25 patients every day. Twenty eight elderly general rehabilitation beds and 12 elderly stroke rehabilitation beds cater for approximately 150 admissions each year (two thirds female). These services have been added by the RHD over the past decade and allow for a cost-effective, step-up rehabilitation facility that complements the more expensive acute care hospital services. Approximately 80% of patients return home within 70 days.

The RHD has also developed a small sheltered housing complex, Cullenswood, which provides 32 residents with independent living facilities in a beautiful, tranquil setting. A second development, comprising 20 apartments in the adjacent Bloomfield Park development, opened in 2008.

The Royal Hospital Donnybrook provides its services to a catchment area whose population was 324,308 in 1996, while the Central Statistics Office forecasts that it will continue to see strong population growth. For instance, in the over 75 age category, it is anticipated that the population will grow by over a third (38%) up to 2021.