Launch of Community Hospital in Ballyshannon, Donegal, Delayed Indefinitely
Donegal: The opening of the Community Hospital in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, has encountered delays due to a dispute between employees and the HSE. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) and SIPTU raised objections to the hospital’s opening, citing concerns about staffing levels and clinical governance.
The unions expressed apprehension that the hospital was set to commence operations without adequate planning for staffing and clinical governance, posing potential risks to both staff and patients. INMO emphasised the need for proper staffing and clinical governance measures to be established prior to the hospital’s opening, and criticised the HSE’s position as disappointing.
Efforts to resolve the dispute through discussions between the HSE, INMO, and SIPTU at the Workplace Relations Commission did not yield an agreement, resulting in a further postponement of the hospital’s opening. The HSE has indicated its commitment to continuing discussions with staff and the unions to address the outstanding issues.
Neal Donough, INMO’s Industrial Relations Officer, stressed the importance of prioritising patient and staff safety at the hospital and criticised the lack of sufficient planning to address these concerns. The spokesperson reiterated the need to resolve staffing issues to ensure patient safety from the outset.
The new Ballyshannon Community Hospital, located on the site of the former Shiel Hospital, is expected to offer 52 long-stay beds and 20 short-stay beds, catering to services such as rehabilitation, respite care, and palliative care. It will also include eight dementia beds and a day hospital service, along with various professional services for older people in the surrounding areas.
These services encompass speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, dietetics, and podiatry, as well as specialised roles like tissue viability nurse specialist, dentistry, audiology, clinical nurse specialist dementia, and geriatric psychiatric treatment. Additional support services, such as social work, advocacy, spiritual services, hairdressing, and transportation facilities, will also be available to residents and patients.
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