Athlone Community Nursing Unit due to open in later 2025
The new Athlone Community Nursing Unit (CNU) is due to open in the third quarter of next year, according to the Health Service Executive.
The construction of the unit in Clonbrusk is entering its final stages, with an estimated completion date of January 2025.
The new facility, spanning some 5,000 square metres, will provide a state-of-the-art replacement for St Vincent's Care Centre, which has been the subject of criticism from HIQA for many years because of the lack of en-suite facilities, single rooms and the need for greater communal and personal space.
The CNU will have a mix of long and short-term beds. It will be made up of two 25-bed households, including single and twin bedrooms en-suite. Each household will also have a dayroom and sunroom, dining area, break out spaces, activity spaces, quiet rooms, external spaces and staff and nursing areas.
In addition, shared areas and therapy spaces will be provided with facilities including a family overnight stay room, clinical treatment rooms, physiotherapy and occupational therapy rooms and hairdressers’ rooms.
There are also plans to incorporate a day centre as part of the new Athlone unit.
The new proposed date for the facility to begin operations, in the third quarter of 2025, represents a delay from March last, when the HSE indicated it would be open in the second quarter of 2025.
It remains uncertain what will become of St Vincent's once the CNU is moved to its new facility.
Earlier this year, Councillor John Dolan suggested that the building should be repurposed once empty, citing the the case of Roscommon hospital, which he said has “found a new life” since the A&E closed, as an example that St Vincent’s could follow.
“The point I’d make is we have an expanding population in Athlone, and while it’s welcome to have this fabulous new facility (in Clonbrusk), why can’t we have an open mind in relation to St Vincent’s, and look at providing additional services there?” Cllr Dolan asked.
He queried whether it could house a minor injuries unit, similar to Roscommon, or it could be a base where minor or day procedures could be carried out to take the pressure off the acute hospitals in Mullingar and Ballinasloe.
When the Westmeath Independent asked what the future plans for St Vincent's, the HSE stated it is "dependent on whether HSE service have a future need for the building".
Queried if St Vincent's will close or be repurposed for another use, the spokesperson pointed out that "if there is a service requirement for the building it will be repurposed. This will be determined following internal review by the service". No timeline was given for that internal review.
The Athlone unit is one of seven being constructed nationwide as part of a contract awarded in December 2022 by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and Minister for Mental Health and Older Persons, Mary Butler.
Equisisk, a Dublin-based company, was appointed to design, build, finance and maintain each of the new CNUs for a 25-year period before handing back the facilities to the HSE.
Under the terms of the contract, annual payments of €24 million will be paid by the HSE to the company for each of the 25 years.