Print PageNeurosciences, ENT and Cochlear Implant
About us
This department incorporates the National Referral Centre for Neurosurgery and Cochlear Implant, a Regional Referral Centre for Neurology and ENT, and a Paediatric Unit. It also comprises an Acute Stroke Unit and Epilepsy Monitoring Unit.
It comprises of 151 beds:
- 9 Neuro Intensive Care beds
- 64 Adult Neurosurgery beds
- 14 Adult Neurology beds (including 4 video EEG beds)
- 21 Paediatric beds
- 10 ENT beds
- 9 Radiation Oncology beds
- 10 Acute Stroke Unit beds
Patient profile
Patient care within the department is holistic and involves all members of the multidisciplinary team.
There are 11 Neurosurgeons and 5 WTE Neurologists working within the department and a wide range of patient conditions are investigated and treated.
Within Neurosurgery these include: RTA injury, Subarachnoid Haemorrhage, Brain and Spinal Tumours, Cerebral Aneurysms and Complex Spinal Surgery.
Some examples of Neuromedical patient conditions include: Multiple Sclerosis, Gullian-Barre Syndrome, Motor Neurone Disease, Parkinsons Disease and Epilepsy.
Located within the Neurology Ward is the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, this four-bedded ward carries out continuous EEG and video monitoring of patients with epilepsy to evaluate their seizures.
The Paediatric ward cares for patients from six yeaers old to adolescents. It is the National Referral Centre for Paediatric Neurosurgery, a Regional Centre for children with ear, nose and throat problems.
Nursing staff
181 nurses work within the department, including one Directorate Nurse Manager, two Clinical Nurse Manager (CNM) III's, six CNM II's, ten CNM I's, two Clinical Practice Support Nurses, and a Neuroscience Course Co-ordinator. There are a number of Clinical Nurse Specialists working within the department, specialising in various patient conditions, including: Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Neurone Disease, Migraine, Epilepsy, Hearing Therapist, Neuro and Paediatric Oncology and Acquired Brain Injury, and Head and Neck Oncology and Stroke.
The Department has 1.5 Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) in the field of epilepsy and a further 3.5 WTE candidate ANP's in the same specialty who provide a regional service for patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy.
Professional Development
Professional development is encouraged and supported within the department. The post of Clinical Practice Support Nurse was introduced in 1998, with the 2 main objectives of the post being; to facilitate the development of clinical nursing practice at ward level and to provide professional support to registered nurses.
A selection of post registration neuroscience nursing courses are ongoing and available to nurses working in the neuroscience and paediatric department. A specialist practice programme run over a six month period is facilitated internally in the individual ward/unit areas.
The post graduate diploma in neuroscience nursing is run in conjunction with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and enables students to rotate over a one year period between the neurology, neurosurgery and ICU areas of the department.
Both courses focus on developing a higher level of knowledge and clinical skill in the speciality of neuroscience nursing and are co-ordinated by the neuroscience clinical course co-ordinator.