Robinson Memorial hospital annual report

In it she spoke of all the activities which take place on the Robinson site. She reminded those present of the website on which they can view all the amenities and catch up on the latest reports.

Through the year meetings had been held with various Directors of the NHSCT to promote the work at the Robinson and re-iterate the commitment of the Robinson Board to the provision of palliative care at the hospital and their willingness to financially support any development of this provision. She told the audience that there was obvious public support for the Robinson as evidenced by the level of donations and bequests.

The first department she reported on was the Child Development Centre which had experienced a very busy year. The site at Ballymoney works in conjunction with a similar centre based at Antrim Area Hospital and their multidisciplinary clinic is central to their work. The team would like to work more closely with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service but space and finance are a hindrance. Mrs Allison reported that the Robinson Board had already mooted the idea of a purpose built unit on the Robinson site which they would facilitate in anyway possible.

She next reported on the Physiotherapy team based at the Robinson who, despite an increasing workload, managed to meet the Department of Health’s target of nine weeks in the musclo-skeletal and hydrotherapy services. It must also be remembered that their input to the patients of the Robinson is invaluable.

The Health Centre, she told the audience, had installed a new software system for the computers and while this would take time to get used to it would be very beneficial in the future with the hope that online appointment booking could be offered.

The newest facility on site is the Mental Health Resource Centre situated on the Newal Road.

In the report Mrs. Allison reminded members that the Robinson Board had financed the building of this unit and it had turned out a very successful project with the team settling in well on site. This unit services the GP areas of Ballymoney, Kilrea, Garvagh, Rasharkin and Cloughmills and has good links and communications with other teams within the NHSCT, both statutory and non-statutory.

The final service the secretary reported on was the In-Patient unit in the Robinson Hospital. Here she said bed occupancy was between 87.6 and 92.1%. The staff place great importance in the prevention of hospital acquired infections and conduct weekly audits to chart their progress.

Mrs. Allison was also able to announce the implementation of a Volunteer Scheme Policy and encouraged those present to consider volunteering within the hospital and also to lobby among their friends. In finishing she said this could be done easily by submitting their names to the general ward in the Robinson Hospital .

In his report for 2010 the Honorary Treasurer, Mr. Connor Taggart, stated that the hospital’s main investment portfolio had increased in value by 12% and was just £14,000 short of the £2,000,000 mark. This means that the loss in value following the 2008 global financial crisis had been recovered by the end of 2010.

The flow of investment income had failed to recover to pre-2008 levels; nevertheless, it had been possible to transfer £100,000 to the ring-fenced account held by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust making the balance in the account £645,000 as at 31 December 2010.

Increased values for the smaller William Taggart & Thomas Henry Trusts were reported at +8.3% and +10% respectively.

The Treasurer concluded by stating that the Robinson Board were anxious to see some of its funds, which now exceed £3,000,000 in aggregate, directed towards further improvements of the facilities within the Robinson Hospital Complex.

The President, David Robinson, paid tribute to Hubert Taggart who has just retired from the Board, having served it with distinction for over 30 years. Mr. Taggart joined the Board in 1978, served as a member for 10 years, then 7 years as Honorary Secretary and finally 16 years as a Vice President. The President highlighted Mr. Taggart’s contribution and thanked him on behalf of the Board for all of his hard work over the years and wished him well in his retirement.