Leopardstown Park Hospital

Leopardstown Hospital (Irish: Ospidéal Pháirc Bhaile na Lobhar) is a publicly funded hospital in Foxrock, Dublin, Ireland offering healthcare to elderly patients and war veterans.[1]

Leopardstown Park Hospital
Health Service Executive
Leopardstown Park Hospital
Shown in Dublin
Geography
Location	Foxrock, Dublin, Ireland
Coordinates	53.2687°N 6.2044°W
Organisation
Care system	Public
Type	General
Services
Beds	197
History
Opened	1917
Links
Website	www.lph.ie
Lists	Hospitals in the Republic of Ireland

History

The house and grounds were donated in trust in 1917 to found a hospital for wounded and invalided members of the British Armed Forces.[2][3][4] Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and involved in the First World War.[5] The hospital was established by the British Ministry of Pensions, which funded it and nominated the trustees even after the independence of the Irish Free State in 1922, as did its successor, the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS).[3] Between 1922 and 1931, Leopardstown Park Hospital was the only in-patient facility in the Irish Free State for the treatment of shell-shocked veterans of the First World War.[6]

In 1974, when the number of British veterans in Dublin had fallen low, a private act was passed by the Oireachtas, with the agreement of the DHSS, to amend the trust deed to allow non-service patients to be admitted.[2][3] In 1979, management was transferred to a board of nine members, seven now appointed by the Irish Minister of Health and two by the UK Secretary of State for Defence.[3] British war veterans retain priority right of admission.[3]

In April 2008, Enda Kenny, leader of opposition party Fine Gael, used the hospital as an example of then-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's failure to provide adequate healthcare.[7]

In June 2017 the hospital marked its centenary with a concert on the hospital grounds, attended by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Heather Humphreys, and Robert Barnett, the British ambassador to Ireland.[8]

Facilities

The hospital is run by the Health Service Executive and offers residential day care, a day centre, respite care and convalescent care for the elderly.[9] The hospital has 197 beds.[10]

References

1. "Leopardstown Park Hospital Board". Department of Health and People. Archived from the original on 2011-08-09. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
2. "The Leopardstown Park Hospital (Trust Deed Amendment) Act, 1974". Office of the Attorney General. 1974-03-12. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
3. "S.I. No. 443/2002 -The Leopardstown Park Hospital Board (Establishment) Order 1979,(Amendment) Order 2002". Irish Statute Book. Retrieved 20 December 2013.
4. "History". Leopardstown Park Hospital. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
5. Craig, Jeananne (2010-06-07). "War veterans mark D-Day anniversary on 'battlefield'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
6. Eoin, Kinsella (2017). Leopardstown Park Hospital 1917-2017 : a home for wounded soldiers. [Dublin]. ISBN 9781527208780. OCLC 1000448147.
7. Brennan, Michael (2008-04-10). "Elderly treated without respect, accuses Kenny". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
8. "Minister Humphreys to celebrate the centenary of the foundation of Leopardstown Park Hospital". Merrion Street. 17 June 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
9. O'Riordan, Alison (2010-05-16). "'Dad's Army' military show to raise funds for hospital". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2010-07-04.
10. "Leopardstown Park Hospital, Dublin, Ireland - Hospital Listing". Hospitals Worldwide. Retrieved 2010-07-04.

Further reading

• Kinsella, Eoin (2017). Leopardstown Park Hospital, 1917–2017: A Home For Wounded Soldiers. LPH Heritage Publishing. ISBN 978-1527208780.