Mark Wall (Labour)
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It is always important to start with the proud history of St. Vincent’s Hospital in Athy. It can be traced back to the opening of the Athy workhouse on 9 January 1844. This came just in time to relieve some of the hardships and effects of the Famine in and around the area of south Kildare. The next big event was the arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in 1873 and in 1898 it became a county home.

As I have said here before, St. Vincent's Hospital, Athy has a proud history in the care of older persons that is unrivalled among hospitals. The staff of well over 100 have a reputation for a level of care such that there is always a waiting list of families hoping to get a bed for their loved one. Not a week passes where some family or individual will not tell me of the level of care and attention their loved one is receiving or has received in St. Vincent’s Hospital. It attracts people from all over Kildare and neighbouring counties. So many people hold St. Vincent’s in high regard and it is a source of pride to the people of Athy that the hospital is located in the town.

In early 2019, we received confirmation from the HSE that a design team had been appointed for the new hospital and that the HSE was working towards a stage 2 scheme design. The reply confirmed that planning permission would be sought in 2019. At the time, it was said that the new addition would provide St. Vincent’s hospital with the modern facilities that mark a 21st century healthcare system at a cost of approximately €9.3 million. Following the continuous raising of this matter by myself and all public representatives in Kildare South, planning permission was submitted on 4 August 2022. Thankfully, it was granted by Kildare County Council on 2 August 2023.

St. Vincent’s Hospital has stood on the site since 1844. Today it is a model of care with the best staff and management that any family could hope for to look after their loved ones. I hope the Minister of State will confirm the new facility will proceed and despite the delays over recent years, this much-needed hospital for older population of our county will be put back on track and delivered in the quickest possible time. We all know our population is getting older. The outstanding services in St. Vincent’s are needed. I sincerely hope the HSE and the Government recognise that and invest in this great facility which I hope will provide care to those who need it most for the next 175 years.

The people of Athy and Kildare simply want to know that this new hospital will be delivered; they want to know when and how quickly this can be done.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to provide an update to the House on the replacement 92-bed community nursing unit, CNU, at St. Vincent’s hospital in Athy, County Kildare. I know the Senator has raised this on many occasions and I am happy to provide this response on behalf of the Minister for Health.

The hospital, first built in 1844, provides rehabilitation, respite and extended care to both male and female residents with the majority of residents over 65 years of age. The standard of care delivered to residents in public units is generally really high, but we recognise that many of our community hospitals are housed in buildings that are less than ideal in the modern context. Without them though, many older people would not have access to the care that they need. It is important therefore that we upgrade our public bed stock, and the purpose of the HIQA compliance CNU replacement programme is to replace, upgrade and refurbish these care facilities, as appropriate, across the country. The CNU at St. Vincent’s, Athy, is part of this programme.

A design team has been appointed to progress the CNU at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Athy. The design for the overall scheme of this development has been adjusted to account for lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic.The new facility will provide for over 7,000 sq. m. of total floor area, including single-storey dementia wards, over a phased build and will see the demolition of the five single-storey prefab wings attached to the existing protected structure. This project will be completed in two phases, with the 48-bed unit to be delivered as part of the first construction phase at the rear of the site. The second phase will entail the addition of 44 beds, including two ten-bed dementia units and three associated courtyards, over one and two storeys.

The project was included in the capital programmes for 2022 and 2023. An application for planning permission was submitted by the HSE in the third quarter of 2022. I am pleased to confirm that planning permission was granted for the phased construction of the 92-bed CNU on 2 August 2023. The scope of this project will enable the HSE older persons services to decant and vacate the protected structure building. All capital development proposals must progress through several approval stages, in line with the public spending code, including detailed appraisal, planning, design and procurement, before a firm timeline on a funding requirement is established.

The delivery of the capital project is a dynamic process and is subject to the successful completion of the various approval stages. This project is now progressing through stage 2c, the detailed design and tender process. The final decision to proceed with construction cannot be made until the tender process has been completed and the costings reviewed to ensure the proposal delivers value for money and remains affordable and that sufficient funding is available to fund the project to completion, including equipping and commissioning costs. I hope the Senator will agree this is good news, as we are making significant progress.

Mark Wall (Labour)
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I agree this is good news for the people of Athy and south Kildare. There is always concern when mention is made concerning value for money, such as at the end of the Minister of State's response. I assure the Government and the HSE, however, that the people of Athy will stand over the value for money provided, day in and day out, by the staff and management of St. Vincent's Hospital, Athy. As the Minister of State will know, and as I said in my introduction, there is a need now, as our population gets older, to ensure we have facilities like St. Vincent's Hospital.

I welcome, therefore, that the Minister of State has given a detailed response. I also welcome that this project will go to the tender process but I ask him to go back to the Minister for Health to encourage him to ensure this project will be brought to finality in the quickest possible time. I say this because I do not think there is a person or a family in south County Kildare or its neighbouring counties who has not had a loved one who has been under the care of the staff in St. Vincent's Hospital, Athy. Additionally, as I said earlier, the people of Athy are rightly proud of the hospital. I welcome the reply from the Minister of State but I ask him to encourage the Minister to ensure this project is completed as fast as possible. I thank the Minister of State for his time.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I again thank the Senator for continuing to keep this issue firmly on the agenda. I am sure this bit of friendly pressure has helped in terms of delivering this project. The current national development plan, NDP, provision is fully allocated annually, underpinned by a strong pipeline of capital projects being progressed by the HSE and the Department of Health, including several new hospitals and significant new facilities for existing hospitals and community-based services. Within the current NDP, the Government has agreed gross voted capital allocations for the period from 2021 to 2025.

The capital development project at St. Vincent's Hospital, Athy, will construct 92 replacement CNU beds, with accommodation in line with current HIQA standards. Strategic reform in the model of delivery of care of older people is currently under way in pursuit of the goal of supporting older people to remain living independently in their own homes and communities for longer. This will involve a shift in the provision of health and social care services from hospitals to community settings, in line with the Sláintecare goal of people receiving the right care in the right place at the right time. For those who avail of long-term residential care, however, it is critical that the public investment in this infrastructure is maintained at the level that enables the appropriate standards to be met and the public residential care capacity to increase in the coming years. The ongoing successful implementation of the HIQA CNU programme, including the development at St. Vincent's Hospital, Athy, will contribute to achieving this goal. I will take the Senator's message back to the Minister for Health.