Brian Stanley urges reuse of St Anne's ward as new wing opens

The question I'm asking the Minister is, I'm asking the Minister to ensure that St Anne's ward in St Vincent's Hospital in Montmenedic is kept in use when the new wing costing £31 million is opened to increase the capacity of the hospital from £58 to £83 and if she'll make a statement. I'm asking you now to use taxpayers' money good, so I'm asking you not to waste it. Thank you. Minister. Thanks Deputy Stanley. So St Vincent's Community Nursing Unit in Montmenedic County Leash is a public nursing home that currently provides 56 long-stay beds and one short-stay bed. Phase 1 of the current capital project at St Vincent's is substantially complete and consists of a new two-storey development containing 50 single en-suite rooms adjacent and linked to the existing facility. When complete, St Vincent's will be registered for 58 beds, which includes the eight-bed dementia unit in the existing building, which will continue to operate. HSE, all the persons' services are currently in the initiation phase of project planning for the utilisation of the old building, taking account the demand for additional rehab, long-stay, long- and short-stay beds in the CNU. The current residence of St Anne's ward will transfer to the new building. Future uses of St Anne's ward will form part of the assessment in respect to the future of St Vincent's campus. The scale and scope of future additional phasing of capital works at St Vincent's is currently being reviewed by the HSE and once completed, the specific scope of phase two of the capital project will be determined. Thank you, Minister. Thanks, Minister, for that reply. Well, we have a huge shortage of nursing home beds in the county, in County Leash. We have a shortage of respite beds. There's a shortage of step-down beds when people are being discharged from acute units such as Port Leash and Tullamore Hospitals. And the population, and particularly the population of the elderly, is increasing rapidly. Now, if you're going to spend £38 million on a new building, which I wholeheartedly welcome with the new 50-bed capacity, we need to be getting extra capacity for that. However, the plan is to move out the existing 50 patients out to the new wing and close down the two existing wards. One of those wards, I accept, I've been in it, one of those wards is not fit to be used again. It needs to be refurbished. However, one of the St Anne's ward is, St Anne's ward was refurbished in recent years extensively. Fantastic facility, in perfect condition, as unsuite rooms. And I'm asking the Minister, and Minister Karen McNeil, and yourself, Minister, as Minister for the Elderly, not to let it be boarded up and idle. There's capacity there. This will bring the capacity of the hospital from 58 to 83. And it will soon be open to this new wing. It's important that St Anne's ward is not boarded up. We have to get gain for the £31 million in the building. So, thanks very much, Deputy Stanley, and I very much appreciate and welcome your kind comments on what will be the new building, which will be a state-of-the-art building for residents. Just to put in context, phase one of the St Vincent's development is substantially completed, with the new unit currently being equipped. The HSE is committed to further development on the St Vincent's campus. A scoping exercise is underway in conjunction with a local needs assessment to determine the future requirements for the people of Lee Shoffley. Areas for consideration include step-down beds, short, long-stay beds, rehab beds, dementia-specific beds, and respite beds. The particular point that you raise, I will bring back to the HSE. And really, I suppose, there are further works to be, developments to be done on the campus, but phase one is virtually complete. Thank you. Yes, that's fine, Minister, but St Hans is Hickway approved. It's Hickway approved as we are here now. The rooms are en suite, and this needs to be, you know, you need to have a look at this as the Minister for Older People and Minister Carl MacNeill. And I say this in a very positive way. You'll soon be there cutting the ribbon, and that'll be a good day for the care for the elderly, you know. And I've argued long and hard here, as has other deputies back over the last 15 years, for that new wing in Mount Melich. So it's there now. We have a chronic shortage of nursing home beds. I'm telling you, there's not a week goes by, but we have families looking for to get their loved ones into Mount Melich or Abbey Leaks. Our population is mushrooming in the county, and particularly of the elderly, and there's a real chance here to get a game. And I'm asking you, the day you're down, Minister, to cut the ribbon, and Minister Carl MacNeill as well, you most likely will be down, and it'll be a great day for it to happen. But what I will say to you, the day you're there or before it, will you visit St Hans Ward? You know, you have to see this. You're down in Limerick opening the new wings in the hospital down there, and I know they're needed there, and you kept that commitment. But this is needed, and I'm saying here is an opportunity for a gaining capacity. It's there. Thank you, Deputy. It's refurbished, and we need to do it and look after it. Minister. So, Deputy, I very much look forward to the opening of the new 58-bed unit for the community nursing unit for the people of Lee Shoffley. I met with the HSE yesterday across, we'll say, a number of nursing home facilities, community nursing home facilities. I raised the particular issue in respect of St Vincent's and the second phase, and I've asked them to, like looking at the scoping exercise that they will do in respect of the existing building. I look forward to seeing you all and all the other public reps, and more particularly the residents in St Vincent's when we opened the new community nursing home facility on the campus, St Vincent's campus.