LATEST: Design team to assess new site for Tipperary community nursing unit

The HSE has sent a design team to assess the St Patrick’s Hospital campus in Cashel as the potential site for the new Community Nursing Unit coming to the town.

The decision comes after years of the location being ruled out as the site for the new CNU.

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The site previously penned as a potential site for the unit was Palmer’s Hill.

Previously, Paler’s Hill had been chosen as the site for the proposed nursing unit due to the site’s ownership by the HSE, and several geographical factors.

The HSE stated back in February that they remained committed to providing a new 60-bed Community Nursing Unit for Cashel, Co Tipperary.

A statement issued earlier this year read as follows: "The HSE has engaged an architectural consultancy firm to progress the option of developing the CNU on a site at Palmers Hill, Cashel.

"A process of discussions with the local authority has followed, inclusive of considerations relating to access of the site, topographical surveys, possible requirement for some additional land in its vicinity and the current zoning of the location.

"The site at Palmers Hill is in the ownership of the HSE and is its preference for development of this type of facility.

"A decision on the feasibility of this site for such a development, however, will only be made upon the completion of the local authority’s determination as to its zoning.

"The HSE will examine other sites in the Cashel locality, as part of an overall option appraisal for the CNU project.

"There is no discussion process with residents of the Cashel Residential Services, as regards transferring to any other care facility.

"It has always been the practice to try and facilitate residents’ wishes to transfer to another facility nearer to home, should a suitable bed become available at that location.

"The construction of a new 50 single en-suite bedroomed Community Nursing Unit at Glenconnor, Clonmel is nearing completion, with an equipping and commissioning phase due later this year.

"When operational, this new CNU will replace older persons accommodation to date provided in the 18 bed adjacent St Anthony’s Unit."

Speaking on the matter, Cllr Declan Burgess said: “After more than two years of the HSE ruling out the St Patrick’s Hospital campus as a site for the new Community Nursing Unit in Cashel, I welcome the fact that common sense has finally prevailed.

“A design team has now returned to the St Patrick’s site to carry out further work, which reflects what many of us have been saying all along. It’s clear that the Palmer’s Hill location is not suitable and is unlikely to progress. This has been clear through substantial engagement with the planning section of Tipperary County Council, which highlighted the many challenges associated with that site. I have consistently communicated these concerns to the HSE.

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“The St Patrick’s Hospital campus is the natural and most appropriate home for the new CNU. I can confirm that the HSE is currently working with a Design Team on this process. It is hoped that the site option appraisal process can be completed in the next two months.

“I will continue to monitor the process closely and will advocate strongly to ensure that this project proceeds without further delay.

“Crucially, this development remains on the HSE Capital Plan. It is a vital piece of infrastructure for community healthcare in Cashel and South Tipperary, and the HSE must now deal seriously with this project.

“I am confident the project will move ahead, but we must put the delays behind us and make meaningful progress. I have raised the problems with the Palmers Hill proposal from the outset and have always believed that St. Patrick’s is the only logical location for the CNU.

“I remain committed to working constructively with the HSE, and I urge my political colleagues at all levels to do the same. Our focus must be on delivering this essential facility for the people of our community.

“The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has confirmed to both Deputy Michael Murphy and I that: “A meeting was recently held, along with the IHA manager, regarding the existing site of St. Patrick’s Hospital and a decision was made to further investigate options on this site by the removal of some existing buildings. This feasibility regarding St. Patrick’s is ongoing and should be completed in the next three weeks.

“The HSE remains committed to providing a new Community Nursing Unit for Cashel, Co Tipperary.”

Independent Cllr Liam Browne has said that Government parties and their representatives, TDs and Cllrs, should be “ashamed of themselves for wasting years of time” in delivering a Community Nursing Unit to Cashel, instead of expecting credit for a design team returning to the hospital.

In a social media post on Sunday night, Cllr Browne stated that: "I rarely get absolutely disgusted at the news of development in Cashel, but I have to be honest about this, and say that rather than look for credit for the news that a design team has returned to St Patrick's Hospital to examine how it can build the proposed Community Nursing Unit, the Government parties, and its representatives, TDs and Councillors, should be absolutely ashamed of themselves."

News on social media on Friday suggests that the HSE have dropped plans to develop at Palmershill in Cashel.

Cllr Browne added "How convenient for that to be announced on a Friday, outside of the normal news cycle. Anyone with a lick of sense knew and knows that the proposed plan to build the unit in Palmershill was ridiculous. All that has happened by pursuing that folly, is that time has been wasted when the CNU could already have been built and have beds being used by older people who desperately need them.

“It is 2019 when this work was originally supposed to have been done. 2019. Six years ago. And yes, Covid intervened and put that back. But had the HSE stuck to their plans, a huge amount of work could have been carried out, even during Covid. Architects could have completed designs. Tipperary council offices could have looked over planning submissions. Instead? Nothing. A wild goose chase.

“St Patrick’s was and remains the logical choice for a Community Nursing Unit. It has provided care for the elderly for decades. It has a dedicated staff which provided that care, and were the best carers in Ireland in my opinion.

“They have been messed around. We have been messed around. And crucially, those who are in dire need of care right now, have been messed around. We're back now to more delays in designing, planning and building a unit. Not to mind the hundreds of thousands of Euros that have already been wasted.

“Again I say, those involved, should be ashamed of themselves, and not looking for any credit in returning to a decision that was staring them in the face for the last 6 years. Idiots is about the kindest word I can use for whoever is involved in this,” Cllr Browne concluded.