Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)

We are looking forward to the new community nursing unit in Thomastown.

It is being completed at the moment. It will be a purpose-built facility to support the older population of south and central Kilkenny. It will support discharges from St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny and University Hospital in Waterford. It will be a lifeline for many and a gamechanger for the region. When does the Minister envisage this new community nursing unit in Thomastown will be fully completed and operational?

I am aware workforce planning is progressing across all staff disciplines to ensure the required competence and skill mix of staff is in place to facilitate the operational schedule but there are vacancies in speech and language therapists in Thomastown that have not been filled for the past two years, so much so that it is on its brochure that it currently has vacancies in speech and language therapy. Obviously, that cannot continue. I am looking for assurances from the Minister that this will be looked into as a matter of urgency.

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