No progress on Midlands Hospice 'very disappointing' - Laois Hospice
Two year delay drags on to build €20 million 20 bed hospice for region
There has been no progress in the past two years to build the first ever palliative care hospice to serve Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford.
A 20 bed Midlands Hospice is planned in Tullamore, with the government pledging €20 million to build it back in 2022. The four Midland counties are the only ones in Ireland without an inpatient hospice.
Laois Hospice Foundation along with the other counties' hospices and fundraisers like Hooves4Hospice have pledged and raised millions of euros to help build it. The Irish Hospice Foundation has been pushing for the hospice for some years.
A site is still not chosen, with the grounds of Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore rejected as unsuitable.
Two sites are now being considered, one a three acre site in the town at Arden Lane which is preferred by Offaly Hospice, and the other the unfinished metal framed building beside the town's bypass, once to be a private hospital called Wellwood.
The Department of Health has this week told the Leinster Express / Laois Live that “a decision on the chosen site will be announced shortly”.
Laois Hospice chairperson Mary Delaney said they are disappointed.
“Laois Hospice is very disappointed that the Minister for Health has not made a decision on the site for the Midlands Hospice unit planned for Tullamore
“We were all assured at a meeting with the Minister in February that a decision would be imminent and yet no decision has been forthcoming.
“This is very disappointing for the people of Laois as the Midlands is now the only area in the country with no inpatient hospice unit. Laois Hospice will continue to keep this a priority at every possible opportunity,” the chairperson said.
Last week the organisers of the Killenard Gala Charity Ball handed over €5,500, saying the hospice is "badly needed".
The Department of Health gave the update this July to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.
“It is anticipated that a decision on the chosen site for the new Midlands Hospice will be announced shortly. The selected site will provide the best palliative care to the people of the Midlands.
“The Minister for Health is 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.
"The development will provide a hub for the provision of specialist palliative care services across the Midlands, including day care, outpatient, inpatient, and community services.
“The development of a site at Tullamore is a named priority area for action in the Health Service Executive (HSE) National Service Plan (NSP) 2023, HSE Capital Plan 2023 and Three-Year Palliative Care Services Development Framework (2017 – 2019). A commitment was given as part of NSP 2024 to progress the development of plans for the new specialist palliative care inpatient unit at the Tullamore location. It is also a commitment in the Programme for Government.
“The Department of Health will continue to progress developments for palliative care services in Ireland, working towards the highest possible quality of end-of-life care and support for people with life limiting illnesses across the country,” a department spokesperson said.
Since its inception in 1989, Laois Hospice Foundation has helped to provide a palliative care service for Cancer patients, whose illness no longer responds to curative treatment. The Hospice also provides support for the families of such patients. This total care involves doctors, nurses, a team of specialists and the clergy, who are all concerned with quality of life.