'Can being kicked down the road ' on Midlands hospice for Laois people

A promised hospice facility for Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath which has seen millions of public money committed is being delayed because the Government can't make up its mind where to build it, according to a Laois Offaly TD.

The Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley made the claim after receiving a Dáil reply which promise from Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly that an announcement is imminent.

There was a big welcome for €20 million was committed by the then Taoiseach Micheál Martin in 2022 for a unit to be built near Tullamore hospital. However, problems emerged over site selection as an original property was deemed unsuitable.

A subsequent consultation process on a new site took views from Laois Hospice and other stakeholders. It concluded in February 2024 and those who contributed were promised that a site would be chosen shortly.

No decision has been reached since which leaves the Midlands as the only region in the country with no standalone hospice unit. This has left the hospice movement frustrated and caused Dep Stanley to seek an update from Minister Donnelly.

“The Midlands counties Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath are without any specialised palliative care inpatient unit," said Dep Stanley. "I have raised this numerous times over the years along with others. While we have received many promises and false starts, it appears from the latest reply from the Minister of Health that the can has been kicked down the road again on this matter,” he said.

Dep Stanley referred to a Parliamentary Question about the hospice the Minister refers to capital funding being available for a 20 bed specialist palliative care unit and outlines what this will provide.

Dep Stanley gave his view on this.

“While I would hope that this will happen quickly, this issue has been pushed back and forward and up and down now for several years. We were told the funding was provided for this two years ago. It has left counties like Laois and Offaly without a centre to provide the care needed at the most difficult times for patients and families, when people are reaching end of life,” he said.

Dep Stanley praised organisations such as Laois Hospice for their “trojan work” raising huge sums for hospice care.

“The Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael Government have not shown the same level of urgency and now need to move ahead. Its long past the time for this facility to be provided which other parts of the country have had for years,” he said.

In a written reply to Dep Stanley on Monday, September 9, Minister Donnelly said the new specialist palliative care inpatient unit at Tullamore is a priority area for action in the HSE National Service Plan (NSP) 2024, HSE Capital Plan 2024 and Three-Year Palliative Care Services Development Framework (2017 – 2019). It is also a commitment in the Programme for Government.

“As Minister, I am fully committed to the building of a new Midlands hospice. In September 2022, the Government announced €20 million in capital funding for the development of a 20-bed specialist palliative care inpatient unit in the Midlands,” he said.

Saying it would be a hub for the provision of specialist palliative care services he said the selected site will provide the best palliative care to the people of the Midlands.

The reply came from the Minister in the same week as he launched National Adult Palliative Care Policy. Ensuring people have equal access to palliative care across Ireland is among 25 key changes in a strategy. 

Minister Donnelly launched the report saying dignified end-of-life care "goes right to the soul" of who we are. However, the report has highlighted regional inequities in terms of access to care.

Laois Hospice is raising funds for hospice care in Laois through Coffee mornings on September 26.

Register to host a coffee morning on Thursday, September 26 – or on a date that suits you – at www.hospicecoffeemorning.ie or call 0818 995 996.