Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address this matter directly with the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Finian McGrath.

The paralysis in Abbeyleix hospital is very serious. In 2011 there was a plan to close the hospital. A court case involving two of its elderly residents and a mass campaign locally were instrumental in stopping the closure, or putting the brakes on it. The hospital has changed from being mainly a long-stay hospital to a respite care hospital used as a step-down facility for patients from acute units such as that in Portlaoise. That is no bad thing; it is actually good. However, the hospital badly needs investment. It badly needs to be extended and renovated. Nothing has been done to it in the almost seven years since the closure was stopped. Not a shovel of concrete has been mixed and not a piece of timber has been cut. There is a large site, of which the existing building occupies only a small part. The hospital is centrally located in the town of Abbeyleix which is close to the centre of County Laois and in an ideal position to be utilised. As it is on HSE-owned land, there is no requirement to buy or lease land. There is very little development to be undertaken because the area is very well serviced with infrastructure. The land is ideal for the putting in place of a new or extended facility.

Population growth in Laois is faster than in any other county.

Percentage wise, it is even faster than in County Kildare which is close to the commuter belt. The population of County Laois is mushrooming, according to the latest census, and we must cater for this. In addition, we are all living longer; therefore, the number of elderly people in the county is increasing. There is a huge need for nursing home places. Private nursing homes will take low dependency patients but high dependency patients cannot be catered for in many of them. That is where the Abbeyleix unit comes in. It has always been available with an excellent staff to cater for high dependency patients whose care is costly and who need many supports and services. With the nursing home services, it also provides excellent day care services.

I have a pain in my head listening to all of the talk about primary care provision in the past 15 years. Abbeyleix hospital provides an opportunity to expand the primary care services in the town by adding chiropody, physiotherapy and GP services and so on, in which there is huge interest in the area. Seven years on, there is no plan. I met HSE officials, accompanied by representatives of the friends of the hospital committee, twice after Christmas, but there was no plan, design or cash because the upgrade had not been included in the capital plan. Promises have been made, but they have been recurring in the past seven years. The Minister of State will understand that even people like me who are optimistic by nature have become sceptical. We need to move the process on because it cannot be allowed to drag on at a snail's pace. The current capacity of the unit is 20 beds, but that needs to be increased. I am anxious to hear the Minister of State's response.

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