Health minister sets stiff conditions for site for €20 m hospice for Laois and Midlands

Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly has attached stringent conditions including a tight timeframe in naming the site for the new Midlands Hospice which will serve Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford.

A statement from the Department of Health said the 20-bed facility will be developed at the ‘Arden Lane’ site in Tullamore. However, the caveat from Minister Donnelly is that this is subject to planning permission, and a plan to service the site being completed within twelve months.

Nevertheless, the Fianna Fáil Minister, who had been accused by Laois Hospice of indecision over the location, said he was "delighted" to approve the site for a project which had €20 million approved in September 2022.

“The new development will provide a hub for the provision of specialist palliative care services across the Midlands, including day care, outpatient, inpatient and community services.

“Palliative care is a crucial part of our health service, providing expert and compassionate care to people who need end-of-life care or who have life-limiting conditions. I was delighted to launch recently the new palliative care strategy and to allocate several million euro in new annual funding. This will in part be able to support palliative care services for the people of the Midlands,” he said.

A statement from his Department said a number of locations were considered but the ‘Arden Lane’ scored highest in a process run by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Minister Donnelly added that is priority is to ensure that work on the new Midlands Hospice proceeds immediately to deliver this important development for the people of the region.

He set out the stipulations attached to the Arden Lane decision and added that the hospice might end up at another location.

“I am concerned at any prospect of this project being delayed by years and to address concerns raised with me, I am stipulating that within twelve months, planning for the new hospice at Arden Lane must be granted, along with an agreed road widening plan and funded commitments from the relevant state bodies to bring services to the Arden Lane site.

“Should these criteria not be met, I am instructing my Department and the HSE to revert at that point to the ‘Wellwood’ site, should it still be available, as the designated site.

“I would like to acknowledge the work of local community groups, palliative care professionals, hospice providers, the HSE, and all those who have worked tirelessly to progress a hospice for the Midlands,” he said.

A statement said the Minister has written to the HSE CEO and Regional Executive Officer for HSE Dublin and Midlands outlining the progress that must be made within twelve months, and that officials in the Department of Health will work closely with the HSE to monitor progress on this important infrastructural development on behalf of the people of the Midlands.

Both sites came on the horizon after the original location on the grounds of the Midlands Hospital Tullamore was deemed unsuitable after the funding was announced by the then Taoiseach Micheál Martin in 2022.

This led to a consultation process with a consensus reached that the Arden View site was the best location as it was a bigger site. The consultation ended in February 2024 with an announcement promised soon afterwards.

The delay in reaching the latest decision led to Laois Hospice, which was consulted on the location, accusing the Minister for Health of indecision.

The department said a commitment was given as part of National Service Plan 2024 to progress the development of plans for the new specialist palliative care inpatient unit at the Tullamore location. It is also a Programme for Government commitment.

The Department add that a key part of the HSE Dublin/Mid Leinster Palliative Care Development Plan is the establishment of a Specialist Palliative Care Unit (hospice) to serve the counties of Laois, Offaly, Longford, and Westmeath.

The Department of Health insists that 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.

In 2024, the palliative care budget allocated was over €155 million, a 50% increase on 2020.

The campaign to have a dedicated hospice to serve the four midland counties has been ongoing for many years. Pat Bennett, a regional manager with the HSE, told a public meeting of Laois Hospice in Portlaoise in 2016 that it would cost an estimated €9.5 million to build and €2.5 million to run annually.  The same meeting heard that Tullamore was the preferred location.