Diocesan lands in Ennis are to be used for the construction of a €25m one hundred bed community nursing unit.
Located near Turnpike in Ennis, the new St Joseph’s Hospital is situated on 5.09 acres of land and remains subject to planning permission.
Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Pat Breen declared that it illustrates “elderly care remains a central part of services provided in our county town”. He added, “I believe the site provides the best option following the appraisal of a number of sites in the Ennis environs by the HSE”.
Breen maintained that the build has been prioritised in the HSE 2019 Capital Plan. “I believe the chosen location for the greenfield-build demonstrates the priority that elderly care deserves. As well as being a state of the art facility, it is equally important that this unit made up of 88-single rooms, four twin-rooms and four palliative care facilities, is centrally located and within walking distance of all community services and the town centre. This site close to the Turnpike allows for that,” added the minister of state from Clare.
“The provision of this new elderly care unit which is designed to meet all HIQA’s standards, will also remove any prevailing concerns regarding the registration of the existing St. Joseph’s facility. This new building will provide private and comfortable surrounding for those who require the services of St Joseph’s Hospital, while also providing a more pleasant and modern working environment for a valued staff who are currently doing great work in a more restricted environment,”the Clare TD concluded.
