Flowers for a patient at Tallaght University Hospital

Tallaght University Hospital (Irish: Ospidéal Ollscoile Thamhlachta) is a large teaching hospital in south-west Dublin, linked to Trinity College Dublin and managed by the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group. It has 562 beds. Before you order anything for a patient here, there is one important point to know: the hospital's visitor information states that, for infection control reasons, flowers and plants are not permitted. That changes the question from "which bouquet?" to "what is the best thing to send instead?"

About the hospital

The hospital was built to give the newly developed suburb of Tallaght its own general hospital. It opened on 21 June 1998 as the Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, incorporating the National Children's Hospital, and it brought together services from three smaller sites in the city centre: the Adelaide, the Meath and the National Children's Hospital. It took the name Tallaght Hospital in 2012 and Tallaght University Hospital in March 2018. Children's services are now part of Children's Health Ireland at Tallaght, on Belgard Square North.

You can reach the hospital from the M50 at junction 11, then along the N81 towards Tallaght, and there is also a Luas service. The hospital says that its location in south-west Dublin makes it easy to reach by car, bus or Luas, so it is straightforward to visit in person if the patient is local.

What the hospital says about flowers

The visitor guidance on the hospital's website lists flowers and plants among the things visitors are asked not to bring, because of the risk of cross-infection. The same page asks visitors not to sit on patients' beds, to use visitor toilets instead of patient toilets, and to clean their hands on entering and leaving. We therefore do not recommend ordering a bouquet to a ward at Tallaght. If you have a particular reason to believe that a ward allows them, ring the ward first and ask the nurse in charge.

Better options than a ward delivery

A bouquet delivered to the patient's home is often the kindest alternative. It will be waiting when they are discharged, and a message such as "welcome home" turns it into something to look forward to. If you do not have the home address, ask a relative. You can also send flowers to the patient's family if they are staying nearby or visiting each day, and a bouquet for the relatives is often much appreciated during a long hospital stay.

If you would like to send something that can go on to a ward, ask the nurse in charge what is permitted, and write the patient's full name and the ward on the message. Cards, books and magazines are generally welcome, and the hospital has a volunteer library service with a mobile library that visits wards three times a week. The shop in the main entrance hall sells newspapers, magazines, puzzle books, greeting cards and toiletries, so there are plenty of simple things you can bring in person.

Visiting and timing

Visiting arrangements vary by ward and can change, so ring the ward before you travel. The hospital's visitor information also says that visiting during mealtimes is not allowed, so that patients can eat uninterrupted. Carers have a separate arrangement, and a Carer's Passport Card allows them to be present outside normal visiting hours when they are looking after a family member. If the patient is in intensive care, an emergency unit or an isolation room, deliveries of any kind are not normally appropriate.

Chaplaincy and support

The hospital has an ecumenical pastoral care team, with chaplains from four Christian traditions and links to other faiths, and a chapel on the ground floor. Mass is celebrated in the chapel on weekdays at 1:30pm and on Sundays. If a patient or family would welcome a visit, they can ask the nurse on duty. A Mass card, sent to the patient or the family, is a traditional gift that does not need to go through the ward at all.

Planning your gift

Choose a time when the patient will be home rather than when they are at their lowest. Think about who will read the message, and write a few words rather than a long note. If you do decide to send flowers to a family home in Tallaght or elsewhere in Dublin, include the Eircode, the house number and a mobile number, and choose a delivery date when someone will be in. For the patient themselves, the best gift may simply be a visit or a phone call.

Did you know? Tallaght University Hospital opened on 21 June 1998 and brought together the Adelaide, the Meath and the National Children's Hospital under one roof.