Dementia unit at Cork's St Stephen's hospital to close

The dementia unit in St Stephen’s in Glanmire is to close, the HSE has announced, just one week after the publication of a damning Hiqa report.

The facility will instead be used to provide residential mental health services.

A spokesperson for HSE South West told The Echo that Unit 1 in St Stephen’s will close “in a planned, phased way” over the coming months, and that residents and families are being worked with to find suitable alternative placements.

They added additional placements have come onstream in recent years, including an extension at Heather House offering dementia accommodation. Unit 1 is for older persons, registered with Hiqa, while other residential services at St Stephen’s are mental health facilities registered with the Mental Health Commission (MHC).

The closure of Unit 1 “will allow for better coordination of services on site, at a time when more suitable buildings are available for residential care for people with dementia”, the spokesperson said.

Significant concerns

Last week, a Hiqa report into Unit 1 raised concerns over changing management, unappetising food, restricted access to toilets and unfamiliar staff. In a letter seen by The Echo which was sent to the family member of a resident of the Unit 1, the HSE said that a recent MHC inspection “noted significant concerns” in relation to St Stephen’s Block 8, meaning “a suitable alternative facility” is needed.

“It is in this context... a decision has been made to deregister Unit 1, St Stephen’s Hospital with Hiqa, which will result in a planned, phased closure.”

Cork Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said that over the last five years, the HSE has been trying to close the unit by “stealth”, through pausing admissions and failing to replace staff.

“Inspections of this unit have shown clearly that the issues raised are because of a lack of resourcing,” he said, adding that he will fight the closure “tooth and nail” as there are not enough dementia placements in the city meaning people could be moved far from their loved ones.

“This is people’s home, the HSE cannot decide to ‘de-register’ their home because of logistics.”

Social Democrat TD Liam Quaide told The Echo that full clarity on why the HSE position had shifted was needed. “As recently as July 2025, the HSE said Unit 1 would continue to admit residents.

“Residents, families and staff are entitled to far more than uncertainty and piecemeal information.”