The Minister for Health has confirmed that 4.8 million euro will be made available in the 2020 HSE Revenue Budget to fully staff the Waterford Palliative Care Unit.
The new unit, consisting of the ground and first floor of the new 5 storey Dunmore Wing at University Hospital Waterford was officially handed over to the HSE in April of this year.
However because a budget had not, up to now, been provided to the HSE for staffing, recruitment could not start.
Following today's announcement from Simon Harris, the hiring of staff will start next week. The consultant led team is to move into the new unit this year and patients are
expected to be taken in following recruitment of staff. That is expected to be around February 2020.
Stephanie Taheny who is on the Board of Directors of Waterford Hospice says this is great news. Stephanie says they still need to raise one point six million euro for the centre.
STATEMENT FROM Senator Paudie Coffey
I raised the issue of staffing & funding for Waterford Hospice at the FG PP meeting last evening and I also met the Minister along with Waterford Oireachtas colleagues today (Thursday)
Minister Harris responded to my concerns :-
- he has confirmed that €300k is being made available in the current 2019 budget to commence recruitment of staff immediately
- he has also committed that approximately €4.8 mill is being made available in the 2020 HSE Revenue Budget to fully staff the Waterford Palliative Care Unit
- I welcome this commitment from the Minister that full costs for 2020 to operate the Palliative Care unit will be met
- I believe this news is very positive and essentially means that the recruitment for the Palliative care unit can now commence for the Hospice - this news is important to reassure those involved in the Waterford Hospice movement and the general public and I welcome that we will have a new Regional Palliative Care Service operating from UHW
STATEMENT FROM David Cullinane TD
Sinn Féin TD for Waterford David Cullinane today welcomed the announcement today that the Minister for Health expects that the full allocation of €4.8m for staff for the South East Palliative Care Centre in Waterford will be made in this year’s budget, with partial opening in February.
Deputy Cullinane said: “Today I met with the Minister for Health, along with the other public representatives for Waterford, regarding funding for the South East Palliative Care Centre.
This is a meeting I had called for, having spent the past year doggedly raising this issue both in the Dáil and with the Minister himself.
The Minister was able to tell us that he expects that the full allocation of €4.8m in the budget for staff and costs to open and maintain the centre will be made in this year’s budget, with partial opening of the centre in February.
“This is to be welcomed if the Minister’s expectations are realised, but we must also make sure there are no more delays.
“The Waterford Hospice Movement and the South East CHO need certainty going forward, and this announcement should give it.
“It is therefore extremely important that the relevant staff are hired as a matter of urgency upon the official announcement and that the Centre is up and running as soon as possible.
“I will continue to keep up pressure on this and other health matters for Waterford and the South East, to ensure that the people I represent get the services they need and deserve.
