Still no timeline for Roscommon hospital rehab unit after more than a decade
Roscommon University Hospital.
There is still no timeline for the completion of the planned rehabilitation unit at Roscommon University Hospital, more than eleven years after it was first announced.
The unit was promised in May 2015 with an attached budget of €8 million, however, since then the project has repeatedly stalled.
At yesterday’s meeting of the health forum, Cllr Valerie Duffy sought an update on the project. In her written question, she said the project “was originally proposed as a 20-bed regional rehabilitation facility and for which funding was previously allocated to progress the project through the design process”.
In the written response, the HSE said that a design team will be appointed for the rehabilitation unit by the end of October, and works will commence on the preliminary design stage for the project.
“The project is on the capital plan for 2026 and will be on the 2027 plan also,” it continued. “The development will consist of a 20-bed rehab inpatient unit with associated outpatient services also accommodated.”
The response indicated that the spatial plan for the site had been completed and that this would inform the preliminary design development stage .
“The HSE remains fully committed to the delivery of the rehab unit at RUH,” it concluded.
However, subsequently during the meeting, it was unclear whether the spatial plan had actually been completed. The HSE has been asked for clarity on this.
Speaking at the forum, Cllr Valerie Duffy asked what the timeline was to deliver the project. She also asked what the cost was for the unit, inquiring whether the funding was ringfenced.
“What is the level of staffing that will be required and will this be in place?” she asked at the forum.
Ms Ann Cosgrove, Integrated Healthcare Area Manager for HSE Galway and Roscommon, replied that she could not give a timeline for the delivery of the unit.
“This is why the design team is being appointed, to commence the preliminary design for the rehab unit and the adult mental health unit,” she said. “Until we have a design, it would be very difficult to give a timeline. It depends on the design and tendering process. Will we have it for 2027? I honestly would say no, that would be too soon.”
She said as with every capital project, the funding was allocated as it was required.
“There is a funding approval phase at each step of the project,” Ms Cosgrove said.
