Management at HSE West have claimed that “the retention of continuing care services at the Sacred Heart Home in Castlebar” is dependent on the outcome of an application currently before the Special Delivery Unit.
Asked whether the hospital was to be closed, Frank Murphy, HSE area manager, Mayo, stated: “The Sacred Heart Hospital is comprised of 77 continuing care beds, 36 rehabilitation beds and day care, total 113. Other services are provided by physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and a dietician.
“The hospital is awaiting registration for the continuing care service and if received it will secure the service for a further three years. A proposal has been sent to the SDU in an attempt to secure funding from the allocated €28 million announced by the Minister for intermediate care, and if successful, a new service will be developed on the site of the Sacred Heart Hospital which will increase the bed capacity to 128.
“Management of the HSE are totally committed to not only maintaining the current service but also to developing the services on the site. Over the past 12 months the number of beds have been reduced, which has created anxiety and created an impression that the long-stay service is being closed. The capacity of the service has been reduced to meet the HIQA environmental standards which will in turn improve the quality of the service and also ensure the long term viability of the service by securing registration.”
