THE DEVELOPMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY IN GRANGEGORMAN PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, DUBLIN: 1934 – 1954

Background: Occupational therapy has its origins in moral treatment (Peloquin 1989). Throughout the 20th Century, much of Ireland’s mental health care was situated in hospitals, the largest being Grangegorman, Dublin... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Occupational therapy has its origins in moral treatment (Peloquin 1989). Throughout the 20th Century, much of Ireland’s mental health care was situated in hospitals, the largest being Grangegorman, Dublin (1815-2013). Occupational therapy was introduced in Grangegorman in the 1930s (Reynolds 1992). This study maps the development of occupational therapy in the hospital.
Method:
Historical documentary research methods were used to analyse primary source data from Grangegorman Committee Minutes, the Inspector of Mental Hospital Reports, the Boroughs of Mental Hospitals, related Foreign Affairs documents and newspaper archives.
Results:
A sub-committee was established in Grangegorman in 1934 to examine occupational therapy practice in Great Britain and the Netherlands. Following this, nurses were sent to Cardiff for a six month training course. Subsequently an occupational therapy department was established in 1935 which promoted engagement in handicraft activities. Occupational therapy nursing staff from Grangegorman became key members in the establishment of the Irish Occupational Therapy Association in 1951.
Conclusion:
Occupational therapy, run by nurses in the absence of professionally qualified occupational therapists, was valued in Grangegorman. Despite reduced resources, the department continued to expand and by the 1950s, was organised at ward level. Grangegorman occupational therapy staff played a key role in promoting occupational therapy at both a hospital and national level.
Application to Practice:
Findings add to the unfolding history of occupational therapy practice from its mental health care origins. This study adds to research uncovering the development of occupational therapy in Ireland.