Patients set for hospital move
The patients, many of whom are psycho-geriatric, will move to a community nursing unit, to open on the grounds of St Mary’s Orthopedic Hospital in Gurranabraher.
HSE local health manager Greta Crowley said staff would also transfer. She said the HSE was preparing to talk to unions, staff, patients and families.
Last year, the HSE decided the former TB sanatorium was inadequate to continue catering for psycho-geriatric patients.
Ms Crowley said the HSE was checking the snag list on the new community nursing unit and the handover was due to take place shortly.
Mallow TD Sean Sherlock said he didn’t want to see the Heatherside building idle and covered with ivy in 20 years’ time.
“It should be maintained as a community facility for the elderly, especially bearing in mind that Ireland will have an increasing elderly population in the years to come,” he said.
Ms Crowley, however, said the future use of Heatherside would be looked at in terms of the HSE’s requirements and the resources it had available.
