Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has this evening (Tuesday) welcomed the announcement of a significant capital investment in the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Dun Laoghaire which will see the existing facility being replaced by a new 120 bed facility with enhanced services.

“This is fantastic news not only for the patients being rehabilitated at the hospital but for the staff and families of those receiving care.

“The NRH has been providing care, as the national provider of complex specialised rehabilitation services, for more than 50 years and has been a huge part of the Dun Laoghaire constituency. I would like to pay tribute to the Sisters of Mercy for the sterling work over the years and for the commitment they have shown to excellence and to providing first-rate care.

“It is only fitting that, at long last, the environment in which patients at the Hospital are being treated is catching up to the standard of care being given.

“The facility will be purpose built to meet the needs of those requiring complex specialist rehabilitation services and will be in line with best international practice. The upgrading of this facility is something that has been close to my heart and I am thrilled that, despite the scarcity of resources and our difficult financial state that this development has been prioritised.

“The appointment of a design team will be the next step in what will be an exciting development for the National Rehabilitation Hospital staff and patients, as well as for the people of Dun Laoghaire.”