Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 January 2026
590. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the expected completion date for the new hospice facility in Drogheda; whether an interim community palliative care model will be funded and operational in the Ardee–Drogheda–Dundalk corridor pending its opening; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3280/26]
View answerThe government is committed to the development of a new hospice in Drogheda. It is a strategic goal and a priority of the HSE to develop a 36 bed Specialist Palliative Care Unit in Drogheda to service the population of Louth and Meath. This is in line with the Department of Health’s 2024 National Adult Palliative Care Policy, the HSE 2017 Development Framework for Palliative Care and the HSE Capital Plan 2025.The HSE have been working in partnership with a registered charity - Newgrange Hospice Foundation – to deliver the hospice. The partnership with Newgrange Hospice will mean construction costs of the new hospice being covered by the charity and its donors. The HSE will fund the fit out and operating costs (both pay and non-pay).The tender is expected to be published in Q1 2026. It is anticipated the build out will be Q2 2026 to Q2 2028. The aim is to open the new hospice and admit patients in Q4 2028. The new Drogheda Hospice will be under HSE Governance and will provide integrated and high-quality palliative care to patients in the North-East.There are two community specialist palliative care teams in Louth and Meath which operate in line with the HSE Model of Care for Adult Palliative Care and the Department of Heath’s National Adult Palliative Care Policy. There is also access to six palliative care support beds which provide an intermediate level of care to patients with palliative care needs based in the Louth County Hospital in Dundalk. The Louth specialist community palliative care team deliver care in the community including patients’ homes, nursing homes and other residential care settings to patients with life limiting conditions. The multidisciplinary team consists of 20 staff including a clinical nurse manager and 7.8 clinical nurse specialists. This team works very closely with staff of the Specialist Palliative Care Team in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital to ensure delivery of integrated care across all care settings in the region. The Meath specialist community palliative care team have 19 posts including 8.8 clinical nurse specialists. Over the last 12 months, the Louth/Meath community specialist palliative care teams combined cared for on average 172 patients in their normal place of residence per month, which is an increase of 13% from 2024.
