Hiqa approves refurbishment of community hospital as more beds for older people come on stream
HSE South West's Bridie O’Sullivan, Cork North and East integrated healthcare area manager Sonya Cotter, minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, and HSE South West regional executive officer Dr Andy Phillips, at the opening of the new beds in Macroom. Picture: Gerard McCarthy
The health watchdog has approved new beds in a refurbished community hospital in Cork as part of a wider €50m investment in bed capacity for older people in the region.
The extensive refurbishment work at Macroom Community Hospital was part of an overall €50m investment in the community hospitals in Macroom, Kanturk, and Millstreet, and which were all visited by health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill this week.
Macroom Community Hospital, which provides 24-hour nursing care to both male and female residents whose dependencies range from medium to maximum care needs, long-term care, convalescence, respite, and palliative care, had to undergo significant extension and refurbishment works to comply with Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) regulations, moving away from an ‘open ward’ model to more private rooms.
The €14.65m project included the construction of a new extension in 2022 before the refurbishment started on the existing hospital.
The health minister confirmed during her visit on Wednesday that Hiqa has now approved the registration of the refurbished hospital building, paving the way for the opening of the new beds on a phased basis in the coming weeks.
Once registration has been finalised, the HSE South West said it will start relocating residents, who had moved into the new extension while the work was underway, to the original building.
The project brings the hospital’s total bed capacity to 38.
“Building capacity, both in terms of workforce and infrastructure, is essential to addressing Ireland’s long-term demographic challenges,” the minister said.
The HSE South West’s regional executive officer, Dr Andy Phillips, said developments show the HSE's commitment to delivering the highest standard of care.
Just over €14.6m is being spent on an extension at the 26-bed Millstreet Community Hospital, and on refurbishment works on the original building which began early this month, again to comply with Hiqa regulations. The new extension contains 11 single en-suite rooms with social spaces.
The next phase, expected to take nine months, will see the front old building transformed to deliver more modern compliant accommodation for residents.
And in Kanturk, some €21.6m is being spent on an extension and refurbishment at the 43-bed community hospital, again to address regulatory requirements.
The refurbishment works are substantially complete, and pending inspection and registration by Hiqa, all 43 beds will be opened, subject to adequate staffing levels being in place, the HSE said.
The beds will comprise 33 long stay beds, eight short stay beds, and two palliative care beds.
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