Health Service Executive (HSE), a healthcare system in Ireland, has announced the opening of the Ballyshannon Community Hospital in County Donegal in Ireland.
The facility, situated at the former Sheil Hospital site, will serve as a new home for 26 residents, who moved in on the opening day on 20 February.
It has been built with an investment of €36.7m ($39.6m).
The new hospital comprises 52 long-stay beds and 20 short-stay beds, offering various care options, including convalescence, respite, rehabilitation, and palliative care.
It also includes eight dementia-specific assessment beds and a day hospital service.
To support older persons in the South Donegal, North Leitrim, and North Sligo areas, a wide array of professional services will be available through the hospital's primary care services.
These include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dentistry, audiology, podiatry, speech and language therapy, dietician, tissue viability nurse specialist, clinical nurse specialist dementia, psychiatry of old age, and social worker services.
Additionally, residents and patients can avail shopping, hairdressing, and taxis/transport services.
During the initial opening phase, existing residents from the community Nursing Unit at the Rock will be transferred to the new hospital.
The second phase will see the commissioning of additional beds at Ballyshannon Community Hospital, with further discussions planned at the Workplace Relations Commission in the upcoming weeks.
HSE also informed that the hospital's staffing has been secured through successful recruitment campaigns at local and national levels.
An official ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new hospital will be scheduled for a later date.
Ballyshannon Community Hospital person in charge Donna Reid said: “This is such a great facility for the provision of older person services in our community. I am so looking forward to welcoming our residents and their families into the new hospital enabling us to provide them the very best care.”
