Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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I know the Minister of State is familiar with the vital projects in counties Leitrim and Roscommon that I am raising this morning. One of the most comprehensive programmes of investment in public nursing home facilities in the history of the State was unveiled under the previous Fine Gael-led Government. As part of a €400 million investment programme, 33 existing nursing home facilities are being replaced and a further 57 facilities are being refurbished or extended. Before this breakthrough announcement, many communities feared that some nursing home facilities would be closed because of a failure to meet the required HIQA standards. Naturally, this caused a great deal of concern among communities across the country. This significant funding programme means that such closures will not happen.

The excellence of the care received at many of these nursing homes must always be acknowledged. However, the physical environment requires substantial improvements, as the Minister of State is aware. The biggest beneficiaries of this funding in my region are St. Patrick's Hospital in Carrick-on-Shannon, which has received €16 million for a new 90-bed community hospital, and the Sacred Heart Hospital in Roscommon town, which has received €9 million for a new 50-bed unit. There has been some concern recently about the identification of a site for the new St. Patrick's Hospital in Carrick-on-Shannon. One site that was previously earmarked for the project fell through because of concerns about potential flooding. I understand that a preferred site has now been selected. The Minister of State might be able to shed some light on when this site will be purchased to allow this project to be advanced. The upgrade project at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Roscommon will involve an extensive refurbishment of the building to provide residents' accommodation in en suite, single and two-bed rooms, along with suitable communal space and sanitary facilities. I understand there are difficulties getting these projects up and running from a management point of view. I would be grateful if the Minister of State could outline a timeline for the planning and design elements of these projects, both of which are very important for Roscommon and Leitrim.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Senator for raising this issue and giving me an opportunity to update the House on the provision of community nursing units at St. Patrick's Hospital in Carrick-on-Shannon and the Sacred Heart Hospital in Roscommon. The Government's overarching policy is to support older people to live in dignity and independence in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. While the standard of care delivered to residents in public units is generally very high, we recognise that many community hospitals are housed in buildings that are less than ideal in the modern context. Without those buildings, however, many older people would not have access to the care they need. It is important for us to upgrade our public bed stock. This is the aim of the five-year capital investment programme for community nursing units which was announced in 2016. The programme provides the framework for an enhanced programme of replacing, upgrading and refurbishing these care facilities, as appropriate. Significant work has been undertaken to determine the optimum scheduling of projects within the phased provision of funding to achieve compliance and registration with HIQA.

The Sacred Heart Hospital and care home in Roscommon has 95 beds. It is registered with HIQA and has an excellent reputation as a care facility. It provides 80 long-term care beds for older people and 15 short-term palliative, rehabilitation and respite care beds. It is intended to provide a replacement 50-bed unit at the hospital and to refurbish or upgrade some of the existing complex to meet the required standards. Preparatory work on the project brief, site selection, option appraisal and cost estimates has been completed. The project has been approved by the HSE's national property steering group, subject to funding. It is hoped to commence the design process in 2019.

St. Patrick's Hospital in Carrick-on-Shannon, County Leitrim, is registered with HIQA and can accommodate a maximum of 46 people. It comprises long-term beds, a specialist dementia unit and short-term palliative and respite care beds. The preferred site for the proposed new build at St. Patrick's Hospital has been approved for purchase, subject to planning, by the HSE national property steering group. The legal agreement is being finalised. The design team has been instructed to commence the design process. The capital plan provides for funding to commence design following the purchase of the site.

All stages of capital projects, including the design and tendering processes, are subject to review to ensure they deliver value for money. Where possible, this includes future proofing to ensure capital developments meet current standards, as well as provision for additional capacity, improved equipping, or both. All of these factors need to be addressed appropriately. The health capital allocation in 2019 is €567 million for the construction and equipping of health facilities. Following the publication of the HSE national service plan for 2019, the HSE is developing its capital plan for 2019. Health capital projects, including community nursing unit developments in Roscommon and Carrick-on-Shannon, will be considered in this context.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. I am delighted that the Government is fully committed to upgrading nursing homes, especially St. Patrick's Hospital in Carrick-on-Shannon and the Sacred Heart Hospital in Roscommon. I would like to mention something I have noticed during my involvement with various developments, including the development of an endoscopy unit at Roscommon University Hospital. If I had not sat in on many of the meetings of the management team, the design team and the various stakeholders, I would not have realised how much work has to go into developments of this kind. There are meetings every week. The management personnel at hospitals and nursing homes have to sacrifice an awful lot of their time and energy when things like this are happening. While I know the Government can provide funding, I am concerned to ensure we can get enough people together to work with all the stakeholders at Sacred Heart Hospital and St. Patrick's Hospital. We should be aware that when people are very busy, they sometimes do not have time to plan for the future. I would never have realised the serious workload they face. I thank everybody I dealt with in Roscommon hospital. They went beyond the call of duty to get these projects up and running. Many people, including officials in the Department, sometimes fail to realise that hospital staff have to work extremely hard.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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The Senator has his finger on the pulse with regard to all hospital issues in Roscommon.

Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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There is no doubt about it.Senator Feighan could write the book on the politics of hospitals if anyone could. That is, he could write about getting them right. He had a great success story in Roscommon County Hospital. It was tough and arduous and many of us on the sidelines admired his tenacity in the face of a lot of opposition. He was on the side of right, for which politicians are not always renowned. I am delighted that these two projects are progressing. As long as I am the Minister of State in charge of community hospitals I will certainly do my bit to ensure that both of those, as committed to here on the floor, go to the design stage and are progressed on that basis.

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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That is positive news for Senator Feighan. Next, we have Senator Tim Lombard. I see that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, is waiting patiently in the wings to take this Commencement matter.