Hospital Staff
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-19
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Kieran O'Donnell (FG), Limerick City

I again thank Senator Boyle for raising this important issue on behalf of the people in the Killybegs area. As I have already outlined, there are currently 22 beds operational in Killybegs Community Hospital, 11 of which are currently closed. It is hoped that the staff will be in place in June and July to open six of the 11 beds that are unopened. A multitask attendant recruitment campaign targeted strictly at Killybegs Community Hospital is planned in the coming weeks allowing for the opening of the remaining five beds. This demonstrates the continued focus and commitment to addressing the staff shortfalls.
I assure Senator Boyle that all efforts are being made on a continual basis to ensure appropriate staffing is in place to maximise the residential capacity in Killybegs Community Hospital, including ongoing recruitment campaigns. The HSE is committed to reopening all the closed beds pending the successful recruitment of staff.
As I said, six beds will reopen in June and July. A recruitment campaign is under way to get the staffing levels in place to open the remaining five of the 11 beds. As Minister of State with responsibility for older people, I, the Department of Health and the HSE are committed to ensuring that all available residential care services for older people at Killybegs Community Hospital are fully operational as soon as possible.

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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