Concerns over future of respite services at St Joseph's Community Hospital

There are growing concerns with elderly patients who have completed treatment at Letterkenny University Hospital being sent to St Joseph’s Community Hospital in Stranorlar.

Some patients who have been attending St Joseph’s for respite services are now having to move to other facilities.

The HSE has confirmed that some respite services are now being provided in private nursing homes.

One woman who contacted Donegal Live on the matter said her father has had to ‘move further away’ having regularly attended St Joseph’s to avail of respite.

“Elderly patients are being sent from Letterkenny to St Joseph’s, making it closed to respite,” she said. “Why not put the overflow patients in those other spots and let St. Joseph's continue to function?”

This week, it emerged that there are plans to move older patients who have completed their treatment to the next available nursing home.

Hospital managers were advised in a HSE circular not to wait until a place at the patient’s ‘first choice’ facility becomes available. This is a bid by health chiefs to free up hospital spaces.

Donegal Live put a series of queries to the HSE.

“All efforts are being made by the Older Persons Service to support older people availing of Respite in Donegal,” a spokesperson said.

“At the same time, the Service must also offer post-acute hospital care to those older people who need a continued level of support.

“In order to facilitate the demand for both respite and post-acute care, some respite services are now provided in Private Nursing Homes within the area, all of which are registered facilities with HIQA and have the ability to provide the required care level.”

The spokesperson added that this will be ‘kept under review on an ongoing basis’.

The HSE did not specify whether St Joseph’s Community Hospital will be closed to respite services and did not confirm the current functions of the Stranorlar facility.