All About Cork has learned a new state-of-the-art unit in Cork for people with dementia remains idle, with no opening date in sight.
Heather House, located on St Mary’s Campus on Cork’s northside, is a 19-bed facility, but the HSE cannot say when patients will be accommodated.
Cork TD Ken O’Flynn of Independent Ireland labelled the situation as “completely unacceptable and deeply frustrating for families who are crying out for appropriate dementia care.”
This is a fully built, fully staffed facility sitting idle while patients and their families continue to struggle without the specialist support they urgently need.
The public will not understand how a 19-bed dementia unit can remain closed due to process delays while demand for services continues to rise.
We need clarity, accountability, and a firm timeline for when this unit will finally open said the Cork North Central TD.
Nursing staff have been recruited, but they cannot begin work until the unit opens.
The facility had been expected to open at some point last year, but “legal requirements” have yet to be resolved.
In a statement, the HSE said:
“Heather House Dementia Unit is awaiting registration from the regulatory authority, HIQA. This is a legal requirement before the unit can accept residents. We are working closely with HIQA on this and have submitted all requested information.
We have recruited staff and will confirm their start dates once the unit receives HIQA registration. Residents will move into the dementia unit as soon as possible once final registration is received.”
Deputy O’ Flynn said he intends to raise the issue with the Minister for Health
