An Taoiseach Enda Kenny announced the details of the €11 million overhaul of the Sacred Heart Hospital when he visited the hospital on Monday. The roll out of the investment into the hospital will quell fears that the hospital was being wound down. The design team for the project will be appointed this spring, with the tender process completed early next year, and it is planned the sod will be turned on the project by early summer 2015 and should be completed by late 2016 or early 2017. It was also confirmed that while the construction gets under way the hospital will remain open and accepting patients under its care.
While Fine Gael has maintained that the Sacred Heart was always going to be kept open and was a major priority of the Taoiseach, Fianna Fáil local election hopeful Lisa Chambers put the announcement down to community pressure, saying: "A huge community campaign which began two years ago to save the Sacred Heart has finally seen the fruits of its labour. We are delighted that the Taoiseach listened to the concerns of the people and acted to provide the €11m funding needed."
She continued: "We campaigned tirelessly as we were genuinely concerned about the future of the Sacred Heart Hospital and its residents and staff. The announcement that works will commence in May 2015, just in time before the HIQA deadline for refurbishment closes in, is very welcome.”
