Former Cork hotel may be used as a rehabilitation facility

Cork Kerry Community Healthcare (CKCH) has said that a final decision on the future use of the former hotel at the Blarney Hotel and Golf Resort is due to be made shortly, with indications that the facility could operate as a rehabilitation unit.

The HSE acquired the hotel in 2021 on behalf of Cork Kerry Community Healthcare for a reported €3m.

It had been previously intended to transform the former hotel into a Hiqa-compliant community nursing unit.

The building was handed over in March 2021 and then-chief officer of CKCH Michael Fitzgerald said the building would be “transformed into a 60-bed community nursing unit, and will allow us to provide high-quality residential care for older people”.

Speaking back in 2021, he said that while Cork Kerry Community Healthcare aimed to support people to live in their own homes for as long as possible, there was a recognised shortage of public nursing home beds in the Cork city area.

“This development will go some way to addressing that shortage, and will allow us to provide high-quality residential care for older people who need that care,” he said at that time.

Speaking at a meeting of the regional health forum attended by The Echo in March 2023, the former chief officer said workforce planning for the unit was “well under way” and that pending registration, formal commissioning, and final contract handover, it was envisaged that the facility would become operational and staffed in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Redevelopment 

Information released by the HSE this year under parliamentary question to Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould revealed that €23,781,421.59 had been spent on its redevelopment — including labour costs, construction costs, and equipment costs.

In recent months, concerns were raised by the TD that planning permission was not sought for the works undertaken at the former hotel.

At the time, a spokesperson for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare told The Echo that the building was purchased during the emergency phase of the covid pandemic and that a planning exemption was in place for covid emergency works.

The spokesperson said initial work at the building began when that exemption was in place, that some work was completed after the exemption ceased, and the HSE applied for the retention of planning permission for those works.

While it was originally intended to develop a nursing home at the facility, documents seen by The Echo suggest the facility may instead operate as a rehabilitation facility.

The documents, released under the Freedom of Information Act to Mr Gould, showed email correspondence sent on June 11, 2024, between HSE officials, stating that the facility in Blarney would “most likely be progressed as a rehab unit because of the potential to secure funding nationally”.

Final decision 

A HSE spokesperson told The Echo that a final decision on what the facility will be used for is due shortly, after exploring several uses for the facility.

“The considerations include the current and future services needed for the population across Cork and Kerry, funding availability, procurement requirements, as well as staffing,” the spokesperson said.

“The building will be a valuable addition to healthcare in the region.”

Mr Gould said people had been “delighted” at the news that the former hotel was to be turned into a 60-bed nursing home, “because there is a huge shortage of nursing home beds, especially in this part of Cork”.

He described the current situation with the decision-making regarding the building’s use as “chaos”.

“It was something that people welcomed, having a facility like that delivered locally,” he said.

“Following the information I received, they’re thinking of changing it to a rehab facility. Don’t get me wrong, we need a rehab facility in Cork. It’s really important, because people currently have to travel to Dublin. It could be years now before anything opens up now. I believe the nursing home is ready to go, and it should be opened as quickly as possible.”