Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill visits 110 bed Letterkenny Community Hospital development

HSE Older Persons services in Donegal were delighted to welcome Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to the site of the new Letterkenny Community Hospital today, Thursday, May 1st 2025.

The new 110 bed unit is a major enhancement of services for older people in the county and will provide modern, fit for purpose facilities for both short and long term care. The inclusion of a new 10 bed Dementia Unit as part of this facility will provide a person-centred, safe and appropriate environment designed around the needs of people living with dementia and their families.   

The project is currently midway through construction and is expected to be substantially complete by Q2 2026, costing in excess of €52m.  Following this phase, operational commissioning will take place with the facility expected to open in the second half of next year.

Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: “This new 110-bed unit is a major enhancement for services for older people in Letterkenny and the surrounding areas. I am particularly pleased to visit today to see the significant progress made on its construction. Our Community Nursing Units and Community Hospitals play a vital role in providing long-term care and services. This new, state-of-the-art Community Hospital will be instrumental in delivering long-term care and other essential services.”

HSE IHA Manager for Donegal, Dermot Monaghan said: “I am delighted to see this progress in the development of the new Community Hospital in Letterkenny. This represents a major enhancement in patient care in our region and will ensure that older people in our communities can receive both short and long term nursing care closer to their home. The development of the 10 bed Dementia Unit as part of this facility is particularly important given our aging population and will improve and enrich the services we can provide to our older population across Donegal.”

Frank Morrison, HSE Head of Service Older Persons Donegal said: “We are delighted to have Minister Carroll MacNeill visit the site today so she can witness first-hand the great strides that are being taken in providing an excellent level of support and service to Older Persons in Donegal.”

The community hospital will contain two 25 bed households for stepdown or medical rehab use alongside a Rehabilitation Unit which will be located on the first floor. The Rehabilitation Unit will include Physiotherapy treatment rooms, Occupational Therapy rooms, Speech & Language Therapy room, consultation room and outdoor therapy space.

Two 25 bed household units will accommodate 50 long stay residential beds with outdoor space which will be located on the ground floor.

Each household will comprise of single bedrooms including en-suite facilities as well as one twin room, all with en-suite facilities.  Each one will also feature a day room, activity room, dining room with a dedicated kitchenette and an assisted bathroom.

The main hospital catering department, staff changing/ dining facilities and other service delivery areas will also be located on the household floor. 

The lower ground floor will provide a 10 bed Dementia Specific Unit which has been designed as a household model with an additional multi-sensory room, quiet room and courtyard spaces/garden. The design of the Dementia Unit will support the continued engagement of the residents living with dementia in meaningful person centered activities. 

As well as containing the Dementia Unit, the lower ground floor will also provide for the main entrance, reception area, office space and communal facilities for the hospital such as hairdressers room, reflective room, visitor room and meeting rooms.

The project was designed by MCA Architects (Dublin) and Local Contractor Boyle Construction are building the hospital.

Minister Carroll MacNeill also visited Letterkenny University Hospital today where she visited the Emergency Department and the Haematology/Oncology ward which has been newly restructured to enhance patient care and experience. She also visited the Errigal Chronic Disease Management Hub, where she was given an update on the Care Virtual Ward programme.