The North West Hospice in Sligo is to reopen its residential unit on April 24th. The eight-bed unit has been closed to inpatients since January 1st last year. A team of homecare nurses attached to the hospice has continued to care for patients.
The closure of the facility - it opened in 1998 following a fundraising campaign in the community - has caused widespread local concern. Throughout the closure 15 nurses have been employed at the empty unit.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has confirmed that it provided €900,000 to the hospice in 2005 but stressed that this related to the homecare service as well as the inpatient unit. It said the closure of the residential unit was due to an inability to obtain medical staff needed to run a specialist palliative care unit.
Alan Moran, hospital network manager with the HSE (northwest), said repeated efforts had been made at home and abroad to recruit suitable doctors. However, when offers of employment were made "some were not accepted by the applicants".
The HSE said staff had now been appointed, and were due to take up their posts next month.
"In the meantime the inpatient unit needed to retain its specialist nursing staff in readiness for the reopening of the unit, the timing of which it was not possible to foresee exactly," said Mr Moran.
The recently-appointed chairman of the hospice said yesterday the reopening would be a wonderful occasion for the community. "We look forward to welcoming patients and their families back into our unit," said Michael McGloin.
