TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose In the early to mid-twentieth century, psychiatrist-led occupational therapy departments emerged in Irish psychiatric hospitals. This marked a transition towards establishing rehabilitative services in institutional settings. This paper aims to examine the development of occupational therapy in Grangegorman Mental Hospital and its auxiliary hospital, Portrane Mental Hospital from 1934-1954.Design/methodology/approach Historical documentary research methods were used to analyse primary source data from Grangegorman Committee Minutes, Inspector of Mental Hospital Reports, Boroughs of Mental Hospitals, Department of Foreign Affairs documents and newspaper archives. The archival data was analysed using both a chronological and thematic approach.Findings The main key event emerged in 1935 when four Grangegorman nursing staff were sent to Cardiff Mental Hospital to undergo a six month training course in occupational therapy. The following themes emerged – “establishing occupational therapy in Grangegorman and Portrane”; “the role of short-course trained nursing staff in providing occupational therapy services” and “therapeutic rationales vs hospital management rationales”.Originality/value This study throws light on the early practitioners of occupational therapy in Grangegorman and highlights the complexities of occupational therapy’s role origins in mid-twentieth century Ireland. In line with contemporaneous psychiatric hospitals, the occupational therapy activities promoted in Grangegorman were mainly handicraft or productivity based. The absence of patients’ voices means there are limitations to determining the therapeutic nature of this early occupational therapy service.
VL  - 48
IS  - 1
SN  - 2398-8819
DO  - 10.1108/IJOT-10-2019-0013
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOT-10-2019-0013
AU  - Cahill Rebecca
AU  - Pettigrew Judith
PY  - 2020
Y1  - 2020/01/01
TI  - Development of occupational therapy in Grangegorman hospital, Dublin: 1934-1954
T2  - Irish Journal of Occupational Therapy
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 69
EP  - 87
Y2  - 2024/04/20
ER  -