Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The executive has decided to reduce the bed complement in the home to 132 beds by closing the unit. This will take place over an appropriate period. There are three additional beds located on the first floor which are occupied by ambulant patients. These will also need to be reconfigured in the overall provision of beds in the unit.

The priority capital developments for long-stay care approved for County Kerry are the new community hospital in Dingle and the new unit at Killerisk, Tralee. In Dingle, construction has been completed at the community hospital and the unit is being commissioned. It replaces the existing 43-bed unit and will also provide an additional 25 beds for the catchment area. A new 50-bed community nursing unit at Killerisk, Tralee, has also been provided which is also being commissioned. This will cater for the Tralee catchment area. The overall capital costs of these developments is in excess of €25 million, with revenue costs of €7.6 million, representing a major commitment to support the development of services for older people in the Kerry area.

The provision of additional beds in both Tralee and Dingle during 2009 provides the executive with an opportunity to reconfigure residential services for older people in Kerry. With the provision of these additional beds, there will be an opportunity to provide residents accommodated in St. Columbanus Home with alternative accommodation closer to their own community if they so wish.

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