At a meeting with local Oireachtas representatives and representatives of Mayo Roscommon Hospice today the Minister for Health Simon Harris announced that funding will be provided to staff the planned Hospice at Roscommon Hospital.
Picture Credit: Frank Feighan TD
The Roscommon Hospice is due to begin construction in 2019 and should be fully operational by 2020/21. The eight-bed, 12,000 square foot level two Hospice facility will provide for inpatient care, a palliative day-care service, family support and bereavement services while also serving as a base for the existing community palliative home care team.
Senator Frank Feighan has welcomed the news saying
“I would like to sincerely thank the Minister for meeting local Oireachtas representatives and members of Mayo/Roscommon Hospice today in Leinster House to discuss the progression of this Hospice project.
“The Mayo/Roscommon Hospice organisation has already approved the capital funds for the Palliative Care Centre and today Minister Harris said he would give a written commitment to fund the staffing of the Centre when it is built. This priority commitment is very welcome news for everybody and of course Mayo/Roscommon Hospice.
“This state-of-the art development will address the critical lack of an in-patient hospice care facility in County Roscommon. When complete, the centre will enable patients with life-limiting illnesses to access expert in-patient help locally.
Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice said the news is “very welcome”.
He went on to say that “This will be a unique development as it will be integrated with the existing hospital and will be paid for largely by the Mayo-Roscommon Hospice. I want to congratulate the people from the Hospice organisation for the excellent work they do in our community and I can assure them of every support going forward. The unit will cost over 4.5 million Euro to construct and will require at least 15 staff to operate and I will be working hard to ensure that this much needed facility comes to fruition over the next few years” he said.