New development begins at nenagh hospital

Minister for Environment, Community & Local Government Alan Kelly formally turned the sod on a new 24-bed development at Nenagh hospital last Monday.

The project overall represents a circa €4.6 million capital investment by the HSE and a further €270,000 investment by the Friends of Nenagh Hospital. The building works contract for the development was recently awarded to Manley Construction (Duleek, Co Meath) following a public procurement process.
Construction work is due to commence on site next week and the development, which will take 20 months in total to complete, will see both a new extension as well as a major refurbishment of the existing male medical ward, effectively trebling in size the footprint of this current inpatient medical ward facility.
The work will be carried out in two phases. Phase 1 will see the construction of a new extension, which will include 16 new high specification single occupancy en suite rooms and take approximately 12 months to complete. Phase 2 of the development will then see the refurbishment of the current male medical ward space to provide a further eight beds in four new double occupancy en suite inpatient rooms, along with other ancillary spaces including administration offices, staff facilities and ward storage areas.
A two-room suite, which forms part of the phase one extension, is being provided as a result of the support of the Friends of Nenagh Hospital and is intended to be known as the 'Gloster Suite' in memory of the late Alice Gloster, who generously left funding in her will to the group.
Speaking at the sod turning ceremony, Minister Alan Kelly described the development as “a vote of confidence that Nenagh will continue to provide the best possible care for its patients for a considerable time to come. I would also like to thank the Friends of Nenagh for their valued contribution to the development.”
Colette Cowan, CEO of UL Hospitals Group, and Joe Hoare, HSE Estates Manager, also welcomed the addition of these new facilities, which will afford inpatients and their families the best possible degree of privacy and dignity during their care.  Architects for the dvelopment are O’Connell Mahon, Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin.