The need to develop a new Dean Maxwell nursing home in Roscrea has been raised in the Dáil.
Labour leader Alan Kelly highlighted the fact that the unit needs to include long-stay beds on the site in the heart of the town.
He told the Dáil that Tipperary County Council was willing to work with the HSE on developing a new unit on the site.
The reply from Mary Butler – the Minister with Responsibility for Older People – made it clear that neither a new nursing home or long term care are part of the long term plan for the Dean Maxwell unit.
“Deputy there is no capital project in the HSE Capital Plan to replace Dean Maxwell.”
“The HSE intends to move the emphasis of the Dean Maxwell facility from long-stay care to short-stay care which is an increasing area of service requirement. However it is the intention that this will take place over a number of years and the changes will occur in a seamless fashion to ensure they will not impact on individual service users.”
