The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Minister for Mental Health and Older Persons, confirmed yesterday that the long awaited Public Private Partnership contract for the new 50 bed St Joseph’s Community Nursing Unit in Ardee has finally been signed.
“This is really great news for Ardee” said local Councillor Dolores Minogue, “I have consistently campaigned for this new Community Nursing Unit (CNU) to further enhance the provision of care of older people in Mid Louth.
“I want to congratulate everyone on getting the project to this point and I look forward to seeing the staff and service users in their new state of the art surroundings in the very near future.
“The staff in the existing St Joseph’s provide an absolutely fantastic service and I really look forward to seeing the new facility which will boost a vast array of modern amenities including a reflection room, hairdresser room, clinical treatment room and also family overnight accommodation.”
The Ardee CNU is just one of seven announced yesterday as part of a €600m deal. Overall some 530 beds will be delivered in sites at Ardee (50-beds), Athlone (50-beds), Clonmel (50-beds), Killarney (130-beds), Midleton (50-beds), St. Finbarr’s, Cork (105-beds), and Thomastown (95-beds).
Each Unit is made up of a number of 25-bed households including single and twin bedrooms en-suite. This model creates a person-centred approach focusing on quality of life; providing an environment that reflects the comforts of home, with assistance provided as necessary around the performance of everyday tasks.
Each household includes a dayroom and sunroom, dining area, break out spaces, activity spaces, quiet rooms, external spaces and staff and nursing areas. In addition, shared areas and therapy spaces are included with facilities including a family overnight stay room, clinical treatment rooms, physiotherapy and occupational therapy rooms and hairdressers’ rooms.
Deputy Fergus Dowd said that he too was delighted with this “…really wonderful news for the people of Ardee and mid Louth.
“The signing of the contract will allow the immediate commencement of the project by Equisisk who have been appointed to design, build, finance and maintain the facilities for a 25-year before handing back to the HSE” he said.
Under the terms of the contract, annual payments of €24m will be paid by the HSE to the PPP Company for the 25-year term. The sites will remain in State ownership for the entire period. All patient care services will be provided by the HSE who procured the project in line with PPP Guidelines and will oversee its delivery.
The National Development Finance Agency acted as Financial Advisors. The project is being funded by Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (Nord LB), Bank of Ireland and the European Investment Bank.
