CONSTRUCTION WORK has begun on a new 50-bed community nursing unit in Cork city as part of a €112 million investment by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide step-down places for older people when they are discharged from acute hospitals or are no longer able to live at home.
The new unit on the campus of St Mary's Orthopaedic Hospital in Gurranabraher is one of four such developments by the HSE providing almost 300 beds in Cork and follows the completion of a 37-bed unit on the grounds of St Finbarr's Hospital on the Douglas Road.
General manager of Community Services with HSE South, Gabrielle O'Keeffe said the new units were part of an investment by the HSE to provide high quality public long-stay, therapeutic, rehabilitative and medical care for older people.
"The initiative is aimed at enabling patients to transfer to more appropriate care facilities when they no longer need acute hospital care or when it is no longer possible to maintain the older person in their own home as a result of changing care requirements," she said.
Meanwhile, the newly completed 37-bed St Joseph's Community Nursing Unit located in the refurbished former maternity unit at St Finbarr's Hospital has recently opened on a phased basis and is currently in the process of finalising its recruitment campaign.
The HSE is still awaiting planning approval for two other Cork units comprising 100 beds in the former army barracks in Ballincollig as well as for another two units comprising another 100 beds on Farranlea Road near the County Hall in Cork city.
HSE South local health manager, Gretta Crowley told The Irish Timesthat the average capital cost of a 50-bed unit was €13 million while the four units in Cork, which will have a total of 331 staff, will cost a total of €16 million a year to run.
Ms Crowley revealed that a new unit is also due to open with 69 posts in Tralee at the end of the year.
Bandon Community Hospital is increasing its number of beds from 23 to 40 while the number of beds in Enniscorthy is being increased by 12 in a similar move.
"The expected turnaround time for the new units is 48 weeks once planning permission is received and this will be achieved through using a modular system of design and construction with much of the unit built off site and later assembled on site," she said.
"Our aim is to provide leading edge continuing care services that are in line with current best practice, attract high quality motivated staff, meet the standards for residential care settings for older people and, most importantly, focus on person-centred care," she said.