Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for asking this important question and for consistently raising the issue of how we can better use Our Lady's hospital in Cashel to support the care needs of people in Tipperary while also working hand in glove with what is being done in Clonmel. I am pleased that we are making progress on the modular build in Clonmel. The next phase must determine what more can be done in Cashel. If we can get the investment in Clonmel with its extra 40-bed modular unit right, consider how to build a permanent extension to that hospital and then complement that by providing more services in Cashel that would alleviate pressure on Clonmel, we can make a meaningful difference to health services for the people of Tipperary. This is something for which Deputy Lowry has been advocating for some time.

With the Deputy and other Oireachtas colleagues, I visited Our Lady's hospital in Cashel on 13 September last year. It was clear that there was considerable potential to provide additional services that could benefit not only that community, but also Clonmel by alleviating pressure in its hospital. The campus in Cashel provides a wide range of services, from those operating on a 24-7 basis to those that use the campus as a base to provide care in peoples' homes. Community services play a significant role in supporting older adults living at home and those who have been discharged from hospital with ongoing non-acute care needs, and also in preventing admissions to hospital in the first place.

HSE social care works closely with its colleagues in South Tipperary General Hospital to facilitate hospital discharges as appropriate. In terms of getting people home, many of these services are based in Cashel.

As a result of my visit with Deputy Lowry to Cashel, I allocated €450,000 for this year to develop community services for older people in south Tipperary further. That money is in addition to funding that I have provided for a 40-bed modular extension to South Tipperary General Hospital. With this additional funding, the HSE at local level is working on a plan to deliver a further range of services in Cashel to support older people in the south Tipperary area. I will provide the Deputy with more details in a moment.

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