Progress is reported in respect of a long running campaign to secure a new Community Nursing Unit(CNU) in Roscrea to replace the current Dean Maxwell Home.
HIQA deems the current building unsatisfactory and the HSE says building a new facility is the best option. The Regional Executive officer of the HSE, Ms Sandra Broderick, is now requesting capital approval to identify a greenfield site within the Roscrea area and if a site is identified the HSE will proceed with the planning process for a new 50 bed community nursing unit. Existing residents and staff at the Dean Maxwell home will move to the new unit which could be a decade away. The HSE completed a CNU in Nenagh last year which prompted concerns that people in Roscrea area might be accommodated in Nenagh instead of Roscrea – this did not come to pass as the HSE instead decided to use the new CNU for a temporary period of at least a year to help alleviate overcrowding in UHL.
A group of family representatives of residents in the Dean Maxwell home have welcomed the new proposals and are calling on local TDs and the Government to ensure the requisite capital funding is made available.
The Dean Maxwell facility has 20 long-stay beds and two palliative care beds, meaning that the new 50-bed unit will also be in a position to cater for the growing older population in the town, which is set to double by 2031. HSE plans for a CNU in Cashel are also facing delays as the HSE is yet to finalise a site for the project that was originally intended to go to planning on the grounds of St Patrick’s Hospital in 2019.
