Mater Infirmorum Hospital
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| Location | |
|---|---|
| Place | Belfast County Antrim, Northern Ireland, (UK) |
| Organisation | |
| Care System | Public NHS |
| Hospital Type | District General |
| Affiliated Med.Sch. | Queens University |
| Services | |
| Emergency Dept. | Yes Accident & Emergency |
| Beds | 236 |
| Speciality | Unknown |
| History | |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Links | |
| Website | Homepage |
| See also | Hospitals in Northern Ireland |
The Mater Infirmorum Hospital, commonly known as The Mater, is an acute hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland and serves a population of over 200,000 people. It provides services to most of North Belfast and South Antrim, reaching as far as Glengormley, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey. It also provides a psychiatric service for West Belfast. The Trust provides a wide range of services including acute In-patient, A&E, Day Procedures, Mental Illness and Maternity. The word Mater can be pronounced "matt-er" or "mae-ter" depending on what part of Belfast one lives in.
[edit] History
The Mater has been serving the people of Belfast since it admitted its first patients on 1 November 1883, in premises on the Crumlin Road in Belfast, known as Bedeque House. It was initially founded by the Sisters of Mercy but has always treated patients without regard to class or creed.
Situated in the middle of one of the most deprived areas of Belfast and in the middle of working class Roman Catholic and Protestant populations, the Mater Hospital has often been in the middle of community tensions over the past three decades. It draws patients and staff from both communities and maintains close links with local people.
The main hospital opened in 1900. In 1909 the Mater Hospital was officially recognised as a university teaching hospital and is still associated with and receives students from the Queen's University Medical School.
It required a major refurbishment to bring it up to modern standards. As the first phase of a modernisation programme, a new ward block and day procedures unit was built at the rear of the present block, at a cost of £15 million. This cost was fully met by a generous contribution from the charitable funds of the YP Trustees, who have long association with the Mater.
In 1945 the first Mater Maternity Unit opened, caring for nineteen mothers and their babies, then, in 1952, the first Neuropsychiatry department opened based in an acute Hospital. The Hospital became fully integrated into the National Health Service in 1972.
Today, it is one of the biggest employers in North Belfast with over 1000 staff. now fully integrated into the Health Service of Northern Ireland with its own Trust Board of Management.
[edit] Hospital Services
The Mater Hospital has 236 beds and provides a comprehensive range of services:
- General Medicine, including Haematology and Gastroenterology, Diabetes Cardiology;
- General Surgery, including Urology and Vascular.
- Regional Hepatobiliary Service which attracts referrals from throughout Northern Ireland.
- Psychiatry Service , including Day Hospital and Psychogeriatrics supporting North and West Belfast.
- Ophthalmology
- ENT
- Obstetrics, Neonatology and Gynaecology Services
- Intensive Care Unit
- 24 hour Service Accident & Emergency Department
- A new MRI Unit is to open in early January 2007
The Trust has also been awarded Charter Marks for Excellence in Maternity Services (awarded twice), Psychiatric Services and Ophthalmology.
During 1999 to 2000 they cared for:-
- 44,844 Accident and Emergency Patients
- 64,300 Outpatients Patients
- 13084 Inpatients and 3957 Day cases
The Mater Hospital Trust is undergoing a major redevelopment. In 2001 work is nearing completion on the new £16 million inpatient and day procedures unit which will enhance the whole hospital, providing state of the art equipment and facilities for staff and most importantly the local community. This is the largest investment in North Belfast to date.
Mission Statement: To provide high quality patient care irrespective of creed or class, whilst treating every one as an individual.
