The male and female admissions wards in St Lomans Hospital are to close this week in a move that is expected to save the HSE €1m, the Advertiser has learned.
The majority of the 43 patients will be discharged to more appropriate care within in the community while those who cannot be accommodated in any of the remaining five wards at the pre-Famine built Delvin Road institution, will be transferred to similar facilities in either Naas or Portlaoise.
However, at this stage it is not anticipated any will have to avail of this final option.
The closures are the culmination of an eight year plan to begin to de-institutionalise long term residents and, in the present climate, to make some savings in the Health Service Executive's (HSE ) outlay.
Junior Minister for Health, John Moloney TD visited the campus last week with a senior civil servant to appraise the situation on the ground and visited all units with senior staff.
At the moment, there are only 110 patients resident in the seven wards, down from approximately 1,500 in the 1980s.
There are 99 nursing staff across the campus and an additional 115 staff in various support roles.
A definitive statement on the future of the hospital is expected in May.
At the moment, representatives of SIPTU, IMPACT and the Psychiatric Nurses' Union (PNU ) are in discussion with the Department of health in an effort to minimise job losses.
Without wanting to commit to the record just yet, it has been suggested by a source close to the negotiations that the only job losses will be in the non-renewal of temporary contracts.
Each of the remaining five wards houses an average of 17 residents.
