General
St. John's is a Urology Day Unit and is primarily day case procedure unit. The department is divided into two areas: St. John's Urology Unit and St. John's Men's Health Unit. The care provided, both nursing and medical, is individual assessing, examining and investigating, offering treatment options and providing follow-up care.Prostate and Urological Service
St. John’s Men's Health Unit was established to provide a centralised service to patients diagnosed with a urological cancer and patients with erectile dysfunction. The opening of this unit has only been possible due to funding provided by the Mercy University Hospital Foundation. Mercy University Hospital, Cork (MUH) specialises in the management of prostate cancer and urological cancers.
This is a rapid access PSA clinic (Prostate Specific Antigen - prostate blood test) in Munster working with men from the Cork and wider Munster region suffering from various forms of cancer and in particular prostate and testicular cancer.
The establishment of this clinic enables us to:
- Treat patients in privacy.
- Carry out same day consultations, biopsies and diagnostic treatments.
- Provide specialized support to the patient and family after diagnosis and before, during and after treatment.
- Develop 'care pathways' for each diagnosed cancer patient. These pathways are developed in a partnership between the patient, their consultant, the clinical nurse specialist and the clinical psychologist.
- Maintain a urological cancers database - for diagnosed prostate, testicular, renal, bladder and penile cancers.
Procedures - Men's Health Unit
The types of procedures carried out in this unit are as follows:
- Rapid access PSA clinic (Prostate Specific Antigen - prostate blood test) providing a streamlined service whereby patients see their urologist and have their TRUS biopsy (Trans Rectal UltraSound) on the same day to confirm diagnosis of a prostate cancer, BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) or prostatitis.
- Trial of voiding in post-radical prostatectomy cases.
- Rapid access diagnostic and treatment service for testicular, renal and penile cancers.
- Organisation of sperm banking for patients with a testicular cancer.
- Intercavernosal injection therapy and vacuum pump clinics for patients with erectile dysfunction.
Procedures - Urology Unit
Procedures carried out in this unit are as follows:
Consultant and NCHD (Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor) led:
- Flexible cystoscopy.
- Stent removal.
- Injection of botulinum toxin.
- Fulguration of bladder tumours.
- Insertion of supra-pubic catheters.
- Lithotripsy.
- Uroflowmetry studies.
- Trial of voiding without catheters.
Nurse-led:
- Catheter clinic (urethral and supra-pubic).
- Bladder instillations.
- Teaching of intermittent self-catherisation.
- Teaching of intermittent self-dilatation.
Access
Access to the above services is by way of a referral letter from your general practitioner (GP).
Contact Details
Secretary for Men's Health Unit and Clinical Nurse Specialist (Uro-Oncology)
Telephone: 021-493 5074
Secretary for Urology Unit and Clinical Nurse Specialist (Urology)
Telephone: 021-493 5560
Secretary to Mr. Paul Sweeney
Telephone: 021-493 5392
Fax: 021-427 9896
Secretary to Mr. Ciaran Brady
Telephone: 021-493 5079
Fax: 021-427 9896