Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 March 2017
181. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health when construction work will commence on the development of a new residential care facility for older persons at St. Brigid's complex, Ardee, County Louth; the overall cost of the project; the timeframe for the completion of the work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10800/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI presume the Deputy is referring to St Joseph's Hospital, as the St Brigid's complex is a large former psychiatric hospital which now accommodates a variety of HSE services. The Capital Programme announced in January 2016 provides for the replacement and refurbishment of 90 public nursing homes across the country over the next five years. Under this Programme it is proposed to deliver a 50 bed replacement unit at St Joseph's Hospital, Ardee by 2021. This will replace existing facilities where the physical environment requires significant improvement.
Significant work has been undertaken by the HSE in determining the most appropriate scheduling of projects over the 5 year period from 2016 to 2021, within the phased provision of funding, to achieve compliance and registration with HIQA. All healthcare infrastructure developments, including this development, must comply with DPER guidelines and EU directives and will require a lead-in time to complete the various stages. These stages include appraisal, project brief, design feasibility, detailed design, some of which may overlap, the review of costing estimates and finalisation of financing.
