Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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88. To ask the Minister for Health to request the management of the HSE to utilise the existing hospital building at St. Vincent's, Mountmellick, when the new wing opens, which would increase the bed capacity in the facility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64160/25]

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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I welcome the framework for endometriosis as well. It is something I have raised with the Minister in the past. I support that work.

It is very important the capacity at the hospital is increased.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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St. Vincent's Community Nursing Unit, Mountmellick, County Laois, is a public nursing home that currently provides 56 long-stay beds and one short-stay bed. Phase 1 of the current capital project for St. Vincent's consists of a new two-storey development containing 50 single en suite rooms adjacent and linked to the existing facility.

The project is expected to be construction complete in the next few weeks.

It is currently expected that St. Vincent’s will be operational in Q1 of 2026, following the transfer of residents, the reviewing of staff rosters and the application to vary the registration with HIQA. When complete, St. Vincent's will be registered for 58 beds consisting of 57 long-stay beds and one short-stay bed.

The eight-bed dementia unit in the existing building will continue to operate. The HSE has advised that they are reviewing plans in respect of the future use of the existing facility. However, the main kitchen, canteen, laundry, and storerooms will continue to be accessed by staff. The church will also continue to be accessed by residents and staff as required, and daycare will remain operational in its current location.

The scale and scope of future additional phasing of capital works at St. Vincent’s is currently being reviewed by the HSE, and once completed, the specific scope for phase 2 of the capital project will be determined.

Specifically on the matter raised, as I said, the HSE is currently reviewing plans in respect of future use of the existing facility. More particularly, the HSE is currently in the initiation phase of project planning for utilisation of the existing building, necessitating complete refurbishment, taking account of the demands for additional rehab, long- and short-stay beds in the community nursing unit, CNU. Any development in the old St. Vincent's building will be subject to capital and revenue funding approval.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. There are 58 beds there at the moment. The important thing when the new wing is opened, which I welcome as it is a €31 million investment we have been long waiting for, is that we increase that bed capacity of 58 beds. The reality is that 25 of the existing beds are in a ward that was refurbished in recent years at huge expense. There are double-glazed windows and completely refitted en suite rooms. It would be outrageous were those 25 beds to be taken out of use. There is capacity here to get the hospital up to 83 beds. There are brilliant staff there. It is a very well run facility. As I said, they are totally refurbished rooms. A total of 25 beds could continue. There is a shortage of nursing home beds in the county. The Minister of State knows the situation he dealt with personally with regard to the residence. I thank him for his work on that and on the private ones. We have lost Ballard Lodge, a private nursing which closed down and which was a good facility. We need extra capacity in the county. I plead with the Ministers of State and the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to do everything they can to try to ensure that they increase the capacity to 83.

William Aird (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I put in a parliamentary question and received a reply on the 14 October, outlining exactly what the Minister of State has said. Funding of the sum of €23.7 million was allocated for a 130-bed facility in St. Vincent's in 2016. The project is being carried out in phases, including work on a new 50-bed unit. Will the Minister of State give a firm commitment that the overall capacity will be a 130-bed unit when all phases are complete? I refer to the existing facility in St. Vincent's in Mountmellick, which I know very well because my late mother was a nurse there for many years. A special occasion was when we went to look at the Christmas decorations at Christmas and to visit the patients who were there. I want to make sure we can keep the number of beds we have there. As a politician - we are all politicians at the end of the day working on behalf of the people in our communities - the single biggest issue raised in my clinics every day is by people who are trying to get their loved ones into one of the nursing homes. It is very difficult. There is no capacity in any private residential nursing homes. As has been said, the nursing home in Portlaoise is closed at the moment, which puts huge pressure on the situation. I am asking the Ministers of State and the Minister if they can do everything possible for us.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputies Stanley and Aird for raising this matter. As I said earlier, the HSE is currently reviewing matters in respect of phase 2 and, more particularly, in respect of the use of the existing building in terms of pure logistics. The person in charge is in contact with HIQA. There was a request for a preliminary visit of the area in respect of the new building and specifically in respect of the existing building. As I said, the eight-bed dementia unit will continue to operate in the existing building. The HSE advises it is currently reviewing plans in respect of the future use of the existing building. More particularly on that, the HSE is currently in the initiation phase of project planning for utilisation of the existing building in terms of complete refurbishment. I take on board the point the Deputy Stanley made about the 25 beds and the point Deputy Aird made about the increased capacity. We have taken account of the demand for additional rehab, long-stay and short-stay beds in the CNU. Developments in the old St. Vincent's building will be subject to capital and revenue funding approval. I take the points both Deputies made on board. I commit to working on what they have raised.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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The first thing I want to say in reply to the Minister of State is that €31 million is the cost that I have been given for the new 50-bed unit that is being developed there. In response to a previous parliamentary question, the Minister said that "scale and scope of phasing of these works is currently being reviewed with service colleagues, and once completed, the specific scope for Phase 2", which is the next wing of the 50, "will be determined." That is a change of from the original plan of three phases. I am trying to be practical about this. I know money cannot be pulled out of the sky but we have 25 beds there out of the existing 50. The first thing is to keep them there. The second thing is to move onto phase 2 for the second 50 beds because we need them. There is a growing elderly population. I do not need to tell the Minister of State that the demand is there for it. A lot of families are coming to me about it.

I was not aware that you could come in on the back of a written question at oral question time.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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You can.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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It is a new procedure in the Dáil. Maybe the Standing Orders have been changed and the Leas-Cheann Comhairle might advise me afterward.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I allowed him in.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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It is good to see such strong cross-party representation from the constituency of Laois. On the particular matter Deputy Stanley raised, there are two aspects. They are currently reviewing the scope for additional works under phase 2. More particularly, both Deputies raised the point in respect of the existing building. I followed up with the HSE yesterday in advance of our debate. I got the update the Deputy is looking for, which is that it is currently looking at the use of the existing building. It is looking at it in the context of the refurbishment that was referred to, the 25 beds, which I will bring up with it, and the need for additional rehab long-stay and short-stay beds. The first step is that the HSE completes its work in that area. We then need to look at funding. I will be following up with the HSE on that particular matter.