St. Francis Hospice, Raheny and Blanchardstown is all about people and community: our patients and families, our extraordinary staff and volunteers and our amazing community whose generosity has enabled us to provide our services free of charge for everyone in our locality requiring them.
Today we provide palliative services to the almost 700,000 people who live in North Dublin and the surrounding counties of Meath, Kildare and Louth. Our community, however, has changed almost beyond recognition since we were founded in 1989. During this time North Dublin has experienced the largest population growth in Ireland and that growth continues. Our society is also ageing and accessing services in different ways.
In the last five years our number of patients has increased by 45%. We expect to be providing services to an additional 700 patients per year by the end of this decade. By 2050, the number of older people in Ireland requiring palliative care each year is expected to nearly double.
Projected Growth in SFH Patient Numbers 2014-2030
Preparing for Change and Meeting Need
People are also accessing palliative care in different ways for example in their own homes, through our Community Palliative Care team. As the requirements of patients and their loved ones change, so we must expand and innovate. Our immediate challenge, as emphasised by the COVID-19 pandemic, is to plan for foreseeable needs and to have the outstanding facilities and appropriate services our community will need for the next decade and beyond.
That is why SFHD has planned for and is now undertaking one of our most ambitious ever developments, Living Today.
This project has two main goals: Hospice and Home
- Hospice – through the development of new 24 individual palliative care rooms in Raheny for all our patients in North Dublin
- Home – by increasing Community Palliative Care for all our patients
Achieving our plans for Living Today will require us to raise an additional €10m in private giving from individuals, companies and foundations over the next few years. Early leadership is essential to create momentum, communicate our message and inspire the support of our community. If you would like to learn more about our plans or contribute to the campaign, please fill the form on this page or contact Eimear Kellett, Partnership and Philanthropy Manager – email: ekellett@sfh.ie or telephone: 086 066 8675.
200,000+ People directly impacted by SFHD from 1989-2019*
1 in 3 People in our catchment area who die each year are cared for by SFHD
1,779 Patients cared for in 2020
11,086 Visits by nurses to people in the community in 2020
522 People admitted to our In-Patient Units in 2020
291 Staff Members
435 Bereavement support sessions provided by specially trained volunteers
2014 Blanchardstown's 24 single bed palliative in-patient unit opened
31 single palliative care rooms (increasing to 48 under our new plan)
21% of people who receive in-patient care come from outside Dublin (Meath, Kildare and Louth)
* Based on 10 family members/friends for each patient
