In 1745 Bartholomew Mosse, surgeon and man-midwife, founded the original Dublin Lying-In Hospital as a maternity training hospital, the first of its kind.
The Rotunda Hospital is unique as an institution in that it has continued to provide an unbroken record of service to women and infants since its foundation. The Rotunda Hospital has been in operation at the Parnell Square campus for 264 years, with the main inpatient building remaining in continuous use since the doors first opened on December 8, 1757, making the Rotunda Hospital the oldest standalone maternity hospital in the world. The Rotunda is also the busiest maternity hospital in the country, with a 10% increase in births in the last year, approximately 9,000 mothers to give birth in 2021.
The Rotunda remains an independent, Voluntary Hospital, operating under charter with a Board of Governors and the Mastership System responsible for clinical and operational management. Since the introduction of Hospital Groups in 2013, the Rotunda is the lead maternity hospital for the RCSI Hospitals Group. The ethos and core values of its founder are still at the heart of the hospital and this is demonstrated through the care and dedication of the staff and the Board of Governors of the hospital. Over time the Rotunda has evolved into a 198-bed teaching hospital which provides specialist services in order to support women and their families at a local, regional and national level.
Our vision is to be the Maternity Hospital of Choice – with outstanding care delivered by exceptional people.