East Cork 50-bed community nursing unit set to be built before end of the year  

The completion of the new Midleton Community Nursing Unit has been delayed, but the HSE aim to have it built before the end of this year, the health minister has said.

The 50-bed community nursing unit, at Midleton Community Hospital, was scheduled for completion by the end of 2024.

East Cork Fine Gael TD Noel McCarthy has asked the minister for health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, to provide an update.

Ms Carroll MacNeill said: “In 2016, a capital programme for older persons’ residential centres was developed in response to the introduction of HIQA’s National Residential Care Standards for Older People and the requirement that all facilities providing long-stay beds be registered by HIQA.

“This is a programme to replace, upgrade, and refurbish community nursing units (CNUs). As part of this programme, seven CNUs are to be delivered through public private partnership (PPP).

“These include Ardee, Athlone, Clonmel, Killarney, St Finbarr’s, Cork, Thomastown, and, of course, Midleton.”

The Midleton CNU will consist of two 25-bed ‘residential households’, she said: “The ‘household model’ is intended to create a person-centred approach, which focusses on the quality of life, which supports autonomy and the opportunity to continue to direct their own lives in accordance with their cognitive and physical abilities.

“There have been delays in completion of the overall CNU PPP programme and all parties are engaging to address the outstanding items.

“The HSE is actively engaging with PPP company to achieve completion of the Midleton Community Nursing Unit before year end.

“The building will then be made available to the service for equipping, commissioning, and Health Information & Quality Authority (HIQA) registration, prior to welcoming patients into the new facility.”