Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, about this earlier today and am happy to set out the current position to the House. St. Brigid's hospital is a short-stay unit with 16 beds, including three palliative, two respite and 11 convalescent beds. The HSE-operated activity at the hospital and the design and layout of the building are largely reflective of a small hospital from the time period in which it was built, namely, 1837. In March, admissions were suspended and the hospital was designated as a Covid-19 step-down facility. Arrangements were put in place for patients requiring convalescent, emergency respite and palliative care to be accommodated elsewhere in the HSE's services in south Tipperary.

With regard to St. Brigid's hospital and its infrastructure, having considered the current infection control advice, it is with regret that the decision has been made to discontinue short-stay services at St. Brigid's in Carrick-on-Suir. Unfortunately, I am advised by the HSE that it is no longer feasible nor sustainable to continue to operate St. Brigid's as a district hospital given the layout of the premises, the narrow hallways, inadequate space, the facilities available in the two five-bed wards and the risk of cross-infection. It is now proposed to use the premises as a base for the newly-created community healthcare network, CHN, in south Tipperary, along with serving as a base for members of a chronic disease management team, with a particular focus on diabetes. It is ideally located adjacent to the primary care centre and co-location of these buildings will enable integrated and multidisciplinary working. The repurposing of St. Brigid's will provide the HSE with the opportunity to develop community healthcare services in south Tipperary for the better, with a particular focus on the management of chronic diseases like diabetes.

See this speech in context