€16m Dingle hospital gets ready for patients

A NEW €16.4 million community hospital in Dingle is expected to be ready to receive its first patients by the summer of next year.

HSE chief executive Brendan Drumm yesterday visited Dingle to perform a “topping out” ceremony on site and meet those involved in the project.

Construction work is well advanced on the purpose-built facility which will have 68 beds, an increase of 25 beds on the current hospital which dates from the mid-19th century.

Though primarily designed for continuing care, the hospital will also provide a range of community supports, including convalescent care, respite care, hospice care and direct GP admissions.

It will also have a day care centre for older people, a mental health day care centre, which will replace the existing smaller centre, and an ambulance base.

The new hospital will be the first new, purpose-built community hospital to be constructed in Cork, or Kerry, since the health boards were established in the 1970s.

“It will provide an excellent environment for patients and staff and will be a wonderful facility for people in the area to avail of for decades to come,” said local health manager, Tom Leonard.

He also paid tribute to the O’Connor family of Dingle who donated the site for the long-awaited hospital.

“We owe the O’Connors a huge debt of gratitude for their extremely generous gesture. The donation of this wonderful site was instrumental in making this project a reality and for that we are extremely grateful,” said Mr Leonard.

The hospital will have a staff of 90, compared with 40 at present.

Hospital matron Annette Cremin said the building would be bright and spacious, with plenty of landscaped garden areas for patients to enjoy.

“Very importantly, people from the west Kerry area will be able to avail of long term care in their own area,” she said.