2026-06-10

I am glad to get the opportunity to raise this issue again. I will tell the Minister of State why I am doing it again. I raised this matter exactly a month ago, on 12 May, with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell. We spoke at length about the need and the urgency of opening the community hospital in Killarney. On 29 May, there was a meeting arranged between the HSE locally and the five TDs from Kerry, one of whom is me. It was laid out clearly in front of us by the HSE people, who I believe are in charge of Cork and Kerry, that the community hospital would open before the end of June. That was on 29 May. About a week ago, it was made known to the county councillors that it would not open at the end of June. I will not speak for the other Deputies but I feel my credibility is being undermined by this kind of carry-on, which is what I would call it. We were told clearly it was going to open and the patients would be transferred from the old district hospital to the new community hospital building before the end of June. Who is calling the shots? Is it the HSE at national level? Is it the Minister? Who has the power or the responsibility? Who directed these people? Did they take it upon themselves? I do not think they did. Someone informed them to relay to us that the hospital would open before the end of June. I want an answer to that. I do not know whether the Minister of State can give it to me. I thought it might be the Minister of State who was here last month but I have learned he has gone away, and that is fine. The man is entitled to go about his business but I thought it would be him here. There are many elderly patients waiting to get into this public nursing home. We have excellent private nursing homes all around Killarney but we need a dementia unit. It is critical for so many because there are people getting dementia at a younger age. There were to be 30 beds opening for dementia patients as part of this. Many of the private nursing homes cannot cater for dementia patients or do not have the facilities. We are begging for this on our knees. The lights have been on in the building since before Christmas and it was cleared to go. I raised with the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, that the INMO said there was no engagement by the HSE with it regarding the staffing. The HSE said it was engaging with the INMO every second day or every second week. Who is telling the truth? It will come out now that the reason for the delay is exactly that, namely, that the INMO and also HIQA have questions to be answered.

Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta.

It is hard to see the children's hospital ever opening-----

The Minister of State-----

-----if the Government cannot open a community hospital in Killarney.

Deputy, you will have an opportunity again in a moment.

All right. Thank you very much.

I thank the Deputy for raising this serious issue. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for older people and housing, Deputy O'Donnell. Long-term residential care is a crucial part of our healthcare system. Across the country, our HSE community nursing units, CNUs, and community hospitals play a vital role in the provision of long-term care and other services. The Government is committed to continued investment in healthcare infrastructure which supports the highest quality care for our older people. This investment includes the community nursing unit capital programme, which was launched to ensure up to 90 of our public community nursing units and community hospitals would be refurbished or replaced to ensure the best-quality environments for our older people. The public private partnership, PPP, aspect of the CNU programme continues to progress and will deliver 528 beds in seven facilities across the country. The new CNU in Killarney is part of the PPP project and will have 130 beds, with, as the Deputy said, 50 long-stay beds, 30 dementia-specific beds and 50-short stay beds. The CNU will provide a high-quality living environment which will be in line with all regulatory requirements. The HSE advised me it expects the new Killarney community nursing unit to open before the end of June. The HSE is still saying that. This only came to me yesterday. The opening is dependent on registration approval from HIQA, so the Deputy is right that this is what the HSE is waiting on. The HSE is engaging with HIQA regarding a small number of outstanding issues. The Deputy is right that this is about opening these units, which are critical. Once HIQA registration is granted, the HSE will set a date and move forward with the transfer of residents from St. Columbanus's Community Hospital and the district hospital to the new building. HSE South West has assured the Minister there is ongoing engagement with residents and their families ahead of the transfer, so there has been a lot of engagement. All current staff from both St. Columbanus's Community Hospital and Killarney Community Hospital will transfer to the new facility. I have been advised by the HSE that the recruitment campaigns are under way for the additional staff required to extend occupancy to the full 130-bed capacity. I am aware - this is what the Deputy spoke about - that the INMO served notice of industrial action last Friday in relation to staffing levels at the newly built Killarney community nursing unit. The HSE has advised there has been active dialogue by way of weekly meetings with unions over the last two months. The HSE advised that much has been agreed and some further engagements regarding staff rosters are in the final stages. The HSE is, therefore, in the final stages of this process and there has been a lot of communication. The HSE will meet the INMO again tomorrow. The HSE hopes an agreement can be reached on the remaining outstanding issues at this meeting. I thank the staff and representative bodies for their continued engagement. We know the excellent work they do. HSE South West will continue to engage with residents, their families, staff and the wider community on all updates about the opening of the new Killarney community nursing unit. The opening of the new unit is an absolute priority for me, the Minister and Ministers of State and the Department of Health. I have no doubt this state-of-the-art CNU will enhance the lives of older people in Killarney and surrounding areas for many years to come by providing the highest quality health and social care services. I look forward to seeing it officially opened. I am sure the Deputy will be at the opening. He is right that this is important. It is about everybody working together to get the unit opened.

I thank the Minister of State for her reply but practically everything she read out was read out by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, a month ago. Here we are with this confusion again placed upon the people of Killarney and the surrounding area. Surely the HSE knew the hospital was to be finished before the end of last December. Surely it knew staffing arrangements would have to be agreed with the INMO. Surely it knew HIQA would have to have everything certified. Why was that not done? It has had nearly two years to organise all this and we are being told the same thing today that I was told a month ago. So much is contingent on this hospital opening. We need extra respite services in Killarney, which were to go into the whole district. We need a minor injuries unit, which I think was going into St. Columbanus's Community Hospital, and a primary care centre. All these things are held up while this is being finalised. The summer holidays will come and I am worried the new hospital will not be open and there will be nothing at all done about those three things, especially the extra respite services that are needed. I see people could not go on holidays last year after minding their elderly or sick parents, sisters or brothers. They had no place for the patients to go. We were promised that would be decided and sorted out for this summer but it is not going to be. That is the crib I have. It is terrible to think there is some fooling and carry-on going on in the HSE. God knows it is getting enough money to spend it properly, to see it is properly done and to see things like this are done in a timely fashion.

I thank the Deputy for highlighting this matter. The opening at the end of June is a priority for him. I reiterate the older persons' service in Killarney and surrounding areas will be enhanced by the opening of the new state-of-the-art, 130-bed community nursing units. The new CNU in Killarney is part of the overall CNU programme, which will deliver seven public private partnership, PPP, projects and provide a complement of 130 beds, of which 50 will be long-stay beds, 30 will be dementia-specific beds and 50 will be short-stay beds. The HSE is engaging with HIQA on a small number of outstanding issues and expects the new Killarney community nursing unit to be open before the end of June. It is waiting on HIQA registration. I welcome the ongoing engagement taking place again tomorrow. I hope the outstanding issues can be resolved. I thank the staff and representative bodies for their continued engagement. The opening of the new CNU in Killarney is an absolute priority for the Department of Health and the HSE. I am working with the Ministers and committed to ensuring residents can move into their new home without delay.