Contracts to deliver seven Community Nursing Units (CNUs) under the HIQA compliance programme through Public Private Partnership (CNU PPP Project), have been awarded by Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly and Minister for Mental Health and Older Persons, Mary Butler.
The CNU PPP Project will deliver the residential care facilities consisting of both short and long stay beds for older persons at facilities across the country.
A total of 530 beds will be delivered overall 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 CNU is made up of a number of 25-bed households, including single and twin bedrooms en-suite. The Department said this model created a person-centred approach, focusing on quality of life, providing an environment that reflected the comforts of home, with assistance provided as necessary around the performance of everyday tasks. Each household included 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 and other facilities including a family overnight stay room, clinical treatment rooms, physiotherapy and occupational therapy rooms and hairdressers’ rooms, would be provided.
Dementia specific beds are included in Killarney (three ten bed households), St Finbarr’s (three ten bed households) and Thomastown (two ten bed households) as well as a Day Centre in Athlone.
All facilities are expected to have construction completed by the end of 2024.
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.
