Presbyterian Moderator takes trip down memory lane on visit to Ulster Hospital
The Chaplaincy Team in the South Eastern Trust was delighted to welcome the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ireland, Right Reverend Dr Sam Mawhinney to the Ulster Hospital.
He visited the hospital’s new Acute Services Building, including the new state-of-the-art Emergency Department which opened last month.
A Trust spokesperson said: “Dr Mawhinney was impressed with how staff work together, putting patients at the heart of everything they do.
“The visit also provided an opportunity for Dr Mawhinney to witness first-hand the vital role that the Ulster Hospital plays in providing essential healthcare services to the community.”
During the visit, Dr Mawhinney met with Deputy Chief Executive, David Robinson along with members of the Trust’s 20-strong Chaplaincy Team, including the Methodist, Presbyterian, Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Chaplains, who are led by Lead Chaplain, Rev Don Gamble.
The Chaplaincy Team plays an important role in supporting patients and staff across the South Eastern Trust.
Dr Mawhinney left Queen’s University in the mid-1980’s and spent five years working in several hospitals as part of his training, before qualifying as a GP in 1991.
Returning to the Ulster Hospital was a trip down memory lane!
Delighted to meet staff and tour the new Acute Services Block, Dr Mawhinney said: “It has been lovely to come to the Ulster Hospital today, to relive some of the experiences that I had as a Junior Doctor in the 1980s & 1990s.
“I am so impressed how staff work together to care for their patients. It was an encouraging visit.”
South Eastern Trust Lead Chaplain, Rev Don Gamble said: “We were delighted to welcome Dr Mawhinney and his team to the Ulster Hospital and to provide him with the opportunity to see the work of Chaplaincy and Patient Experience throughout the hospital.
“Dr Mawhinney was able to tour the new Emergency Department and to visit the hospital church.
“He heard about the history of the church, along with the stained glass windows which date back to the very early foundations when it was built.
The stained glass windows remind us of our heritage, when the Ulster Hospital was formed as the Children’s Hospital in 1872 in Chichester Street, Belfast.
