One of the busiest hospitals in the country has launched a major new campaign aimed at improving its end of life care.

The ‘Remember in November' campaign has been launched by Dublin's Mater Hospital and it aims to raise funds for family rooms in the hospital. These rooms provide a peaceful setting for bereaved families.

"This campaign is all about bringing better end of life care to the Mater Hospital. To date, the hospital has opened seven family rooms and the goal is to open one in every ward of the hospital.

"These rooms are a vital sanctuary for families experiencing a bereavement, and could not have been opened without the dedicated support and fundraising of the general public and staff of the hospital," explained Mary Moorhead, CEO of the Mater Hospital Foundation, which is the hospital's official fundraising body.

She noted that 43% of people who die in Ireland do so in acute hospitals.

"It is so important for them and their families that provision is put in place that will enable them to have a peaceful death among the people that they love," Ms Moorhead commented.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Denise O'Reilly explained how her aunt died in the Mater a few years ago, but the experience was ‘horrible'.

"She had a massive stroke but didn't die for three days. She was in a busy ward with the TV on. There was nowhere to go, it was horrible. The whole thing was atrocious. I've a very bad memory of it," she said.

However later, her uncle died at the same hospital and this experience was ‘completely different'.

"The family could come in at any time. There were no restrictions because they knew he was dying and he was moved to the end of life room. That was lovely, with the candles and the purple bedspread. He looked beautiful and peaceful.

"The nurse came in and we had prayers and music. There was an end of life symbol outside the door, so nobody barged in. He was there all day. All the family arrived and could have tea. It was just a completely different experience," she said.

Ms O'Reilly believes that people who are dying and their families would not be so fearful of hospitals if end of life care ‘was handled in a more compassionate way'.

The fundraising campaign will run throughout the month of November. Purple ribbons will be sold nationwide or people can text CARE to 50300 to donate €4.