World-class new PET/CT Scanner

"I was one of the first to get to use the PET/CT scanner and believe me, it was like stepping out of a 40-year-old car into a brand-new Rolls-Royce. To the people who raised money for this, thank you from the bottom of my heart." - Hermann Mitchell (RIP) 

With the support of Mater Hospital Foundation supporters like you, a new PET/CT scanner is now available to patients in the Mater Hospital. The new scanner is faster, more accurate and allows imaging at a significantly lower radiation dose to patients and staff. 

The Mater Hospital Foundation provided €1.06million in funding towards the purchase of this new scanner; the best of its kind in the country. The digital PET/CT scanner is critical for detecting and managing cancer.

It scans patients at a much faster rate, meaning that over 1,000 patients each year will have access to a state-of-the art PET/CT service. This will lead to more patients being diagnosed earlier, receiving more sophisticated treatments that can be provided with detailed monitoring, and creates opportunity for new treatment pathways to be developed. 

Other key items we have funded in recent years include ECMO equipment for critically-ill patients in ICU and a state-of-the-art cardiac ECHO machine. Your kindness has also helped the Mater Hospital Foundation fund vital equipment for robotic-assisted surgery. 

St. Anne’s Ward dementia-friendly ward

"Many of our patients have lost their short-term memories. They don’t know where they are, but they’re happy in the past. Now, even though they’re in hospital, their surroundings can stimulate happy memories." - Mary Duffy, Clinical Nurse Manager

A fireplace. A piano. A Dublin bus stop. You wouldn’t expect them in a hospital, but you’ll now find them at The Mater. That’s because – with the support of generous people like you – St Anne’s Ward is now a dementia-friendly environment.

For many patients with dementia, the hospital experience can be a frightening, distressing, and disorientating place.  Because of the lack of familiarity and the constant movement and noise many patients can experience a sensory overload.

Thanks to our supporters, the ward is now a serene space, with each room, including the new living room, painted in inviting bright colours and featuring iconic symbols of Dublin including the Clery’s clock, pictures of the Phoenix Park and a Dublin bus stop installed on the ward.

Remembering and sharing precious moments with RITA

Meet RITA – a recent new arrival that supporters like you have helped deliver to St Anne’s Ward at the Mater Hospital, which is dedicated to the care of the older person

RITA (Rehabilitation & Interactive Therapeutic Activities) is an all-in-one touch screen solution that offers digital reminiscence therapy - a relatively new tool in the fields of nursing and healthcare. 

It encompasses the use of user-friendly interactive screens and tablets to blend entertainment with therapy to assist patients (particularly with memory impairments) in recalling and sharing events from their past through -  listening to music, watching news reports of significant historical events, listening to prolific speeches, playing games and karaoke and watching films.  

This creates a calm, relaxing environment where patients with Dementia / Delirium can be fully engaged and occupied to reduce the stress of hospitalisation and prevent boredom.  

It augments the dedicated care being delivered by the ward’s staff and has also been shown to reduce length of hospital stay, reduce incidence of falls, increase both patient and family satisfaction and experience, and potentially reduce the requirement to use psychotropic medications. 

Thanks to your generosity, the Mater Hospital is the flagship location for RITA in Ireland, and it's just one of the examples of the impact that your support for the Mater Hospital Foundation makes. 

Family, Comfort and End-of-Life Care

Through the support of fundraisers the Mater Public Hospital has completely refurbished 14 family rooms and two comfort care family suites in the hospital so far, and we are working towards the goal of having a family room or family suite in every ward for our patients and their families. 

One example of the profound impact of this renovation work is St. Monica’s Ward Family Room. Funds raised by our amazing supporters has helped renovate this important space, which gives patients and their families a vital place of comfort, solace and privacy during what can be a very difficult time.  

St. Monica's Ward cares for patients undergoing colorectal, hepatobiliary and gynaecological surgeries. The Family Room was opened in 2018 and has since been an invaluable space for both patients and their families in St. Monica's.