Health Minister to visit Letterkenny University Hospital next week
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, will visit Letterkenny University Hospital on Friday, November 24. His visit will come three weeks after the Performance Management and Improvement Unit (PMIU) began their review at the hospital.
The findings of the PMIU review is expected to take around six weeks. In recent weeks both GPs and Consultants in the county have voiced significant concerns in relation to the hospital.
In a statement issued this morning, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, said: "Since this government went into office, it has worked hard to support the staff and management at Letterkenny University Hospital through allocating increased funding and investing in additional resources in terms of providing extra beds, extra staff and extra funding. It's crucial that we see this extra funding result in the type of hospital the people of Donegal deserve. To this end, the appointment of the PMIU by Minister Donnelly is vitally important in ensuring that the resources being invested deliver optimum results.”
He added that Minister Donnelly is keen that the government responds to the concerns of the GPs and consultants, and as part of his visit he will be meeting with GP representatives, hospital staff representatives and hospital management.
Minister Donnelly will also be briefed on the work to date of the PMIU.
As part of his visit, Minister Donnelly will turn the sod on the new 110-bed community hospital in Letterkenny which will be located close to Letterkenny University Hospital on the opposite side of the road. The new facility, which is being built at a cost of €59 million.
"The new hospital, which is scheduled to be up and running in the first quarter of 2026, will also have a major impact in relation the step-down facilities for Letterkenny University Hospital. The investment in a new community hospital for Letterkenny represents a further step on from the significant investment we've seen in primary care services across the county under this government, including the delivery of new primary care centres in Buncrana, Newtowncunningham, Donegal Town, Ballyshannon and Dunfanaghy. I look forward to Minister Donnelly's visit and meeting with the key stakeholders. I am also looking forward to contributing to the ongoing work to ensure that we continue to invest in and develop our services at Letterkenny University Hospital, and across the primary health care services in our county,” Minister McConalogue said.