Hospital Staff Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-19 ============================================================ Kieran O'Donnell (FG), Limerick City I thank Senator Boyle for raising this important matter. I join him in acknowledging the great work of the staff there. I also acknowledge the vital healthcare role that Killybegs Community Hospital plays and the excellent level of care it provides to residents and their families in the Killybegs community and surrounding areas. I advise the Senator that the maximum capacity in Killybegs Community Hospital is 33 beds, with 13 long-term care beds and 20 short-term care beds. The HSE has advised that there are currently 22 beds open, comprising 13 long-term and nine short-term beds. While all of the available long-term care beds in Killybegs Community Hospital are occupied, there are currently 11 short-term care beds that are not operational. Killybegs Community Hospital cannot admit any more residents at the present time as the opening of additional beds is dependent on safe staffing levels. To ensure the safety of both residents and staff, bed capacity is configured around adequate staffing levels and an appropriate staff skill mix must be in place. There are challenges in recruiting staff in community nursing units and community hospitals in more rural locations such as Killybegs. I assure the Senator that HSE West and North West is committed to filling all vacant posts in Killybegs Community Hospital and will continue to explore all available options to fill these posts. The service has been liaising closely with HR colleagues to ensure that roles at Killybegs Community Hospital are prioritised for recruitment in order to help support the opening of the closed beds. On foot of a recruitment campaign for nurses and multitask attendants for the hospital, three nurses are currently progressing through the recruitment system. One has a confirmed start date and two are undergoing employment clearances. Additionally, one multitask attendant is currently at job acceptance stage. It is anticipated that these staff members will take up post between June and July 2026, allowing for the opening of six of the 11 beds. A further multitask attendant recruitment campaign specifically targeted at Killybegs Community Hospital is planned in the coming weeks. This will allow for the opening of the remaining five beds, demonstrating the continued focus and commitment to addressing staffing shortfalls. The HSE has also engaged with employment agencies to explore the provision of staff to support the reopening of beds. Unfortunately, agency capacity in the Killybegs area remains very limited. Despite these challenges, the service continues to actively pursue all available avenues to secure the necessary workforce. I assure Senator Boyle that I, the Department of Health and the HSE are fully committed to addressing this issue and to ensuring that Killybegs Community Hospital will be operating at full capacity at the earliest possible date. The HSE has committed to reopening all the closed beds on a phased basis pending the successful recruitment of staff. As already stated, it is looking to open six of the 11 beds once the staff are in place in June and July. The HSE West and North West will continue to engage with residents and their families, staff and the wider community on all updates in relation to the opening of the closed beds in Killybegs Community Hospital. I am very committed to getting beds that are closed in existing public community nursing home facilities opened. The Senator has made a very valid point. As I have said, staff are on the way and are being recruited to get five of the 11 beds open in June and July when they are in place. A further recruitment campaign is about to commence to get the staff necessary to facilitate the open of the remaining six beds. It is hugely important for the people in the Killybegs area that the hospital has its full complement of beds open. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-19/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:57+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-19