St Luke's General Hospital in Kilkenny signs new agreement

The Susie Long Hospice Fund (SLHF) has announced a new five-year agreement with St Luke’s General Hospital Kilkenny to improve end-of-life care for all patients including those receiving palliative care at the local hospital.

A new family room and an education bursary for staff are some of the new measures being funded by the local charity on the 16th anniversary of Susie Long’s death. 

Ms Long died of bowel cancer aged 42 on October 12, 2007, leaving behind her son Fergus, daughter Áine and husband Conor Mac Liam.

A voluntary committee chaired by the late Susie Long’s husband, Conor Mac Liam, announced details of the new agreement on the 16th anniversary of Ms Long's death.

The measures announced include:

• The building and reconfiguration of a new family room to provide comfort to relatives of end-of-life patients in St Luke’s. 
• The purchase of three state-of-the-art Murphy beds, six Buddy chairs and room enhancements in the 72-bed Ormond wing of the hospital so that relatives can be by the bedsides of their loved ones.
• An education fund to cover European Certification in Palliative Care for six staff members of St Luke’s General Hospital and one postgraduate diploma in palliative care every year.
• Provision of complementary therapies for end-of-life patients.

The SLHF began with a mission to provide the highest possible quality end-of-life care for patients and their families through the establishment of a 12-bed hospice in Kilkenny. Since the charity’s inception, there was a huge emphasis on the need for privacy and dignity for all patients during end-of-life care. This need has been fulfilled as all new hospital rooms in St Luke’s are single occupancy and have transformed the experience of end-of-life care patients and their families.

Commenting on the announcement, Conor Mac Liam said the hospice was due for completion by 2013 according to HSE plans but was shelved due to a lack of HSE funding.

"We have campaigned tirelessly to provide a better service for the people of Carlow and Kilkenny and their families. I am very proud of the new measures agreed, in particular, the education bursary which will have a long-lasting impact on palliative care services in the south-east."

Mr Mac Liam stated that the SLHF is also exploring how they can help children with life limiting conditions in the South-East who need palliative care.

"If we can make life easier for families that are already going through the most difficult time of their lives, that is what we will do. Our family knows the importance of having these extra supports as we had to travel 140km to be with Susie in her final moments," he remarked.

"We’re working closely with the End Of Life Care Coordinator, Margaret Ryan, at St Luke’s General Hospital to ensure we constantly build on the hospice friendly hospital movement and alleviate the suffering of families who want to spend precious time with loved ones."

St Luke’s General Hospital General Manager, Niamh Lacey, thanked the Trustees of the Susie Long Hospice Fund for their work, adding: "Together, we will ensure the best end of life care, from advocacy and education, the importance of dying well and allowing our patients to die with dignity and the support of family members.

As a Hospice Friendly Hospital, the support we have received from the Susie Long Hospice Fund will greatly enhance the end-of-life care experienced by patients and their families, she concluded."