*Celebrations at the Radiology Department in Ennis Hospital: (from left): Beatrice Kerins (Radiographer); Siobhan Tuttle (Clerical); Shauna Moylan (Radiographer); Helen Finucane (Radiography Services Manager); Mairead Rouine; and Lydia Chaila (Radiographer).
Ennis General Hospital’s radiology department has been found to be the best in Ireland.
Following a public vote, the radiology department of Ennis Hospital has been honoured as the Medray/IIRRT Diagnostic Imaging Department of the Year 2019. The awards are run by Medray Imaging Systems with the Irish Institute of Radiography and Radiation Therapy (IIRRT).
Decided through a months-long process of nomination, shortlisting and a public vote, the awards also honour individuals and departments that go the extra mile to offer comfort and exceptional services to patients.
First opened in the 1950s, Ennis’ Radiology Department, it is one of the hospital’s longest established services, it provides general X-Ray in addition to CT and ultrasound scanning. Six radiographers are staffed in the department and are supported by nursing and administrative staff.
It is another award for Ennis which also gave a winning performance in the National Patient Experience Survey for 2018 going into 2019.
Operational Director of Nursing at Ennis Hospital, Patricia O’Gorman believed the award was “a wonderful acknowledgement”. She said, “This is very much a local hospital, and we go on the premise that when you look after staff, they will look after the patients. We are aware that the Radiology Department is a particularly stand-out example of staff truly going the extra mile with their patients, treating them as people as opposed to patients”.
“It is a wonderful acknowledgement that our radiology department has been found to be the best in the country, and certainly a very welcome honour. Coming on the back of the NPES achievement, it very much confirms that our hospital is leading nationally with excellence in patient care and service delivery; an indication that every service in our hospital is working at a very high standard,” she added.
Radiography Services Manager, Helen Finucane stated, “We were told at the ceremony that the local community was very much behind the Radiology Department in Ennis Hospital, and that was wonderful to hear, especially when our team makes such an effort to deliver exceptional comfort and care to all of our patients”.
