Over €6.1m for Laois hospitals and healthcare
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OVER €6.1m will go to hospital and healthcare projects in Laois this year, under HSE capital funding announced today.
A total of €6,168,920 has been confirmed for 13 projects in the county, ranging from hospital infrastructure and mental health services to primary care and community care facilities.
Three hospitals will share the majority of funding, with developments at Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise (MRHP), St Vincent’s Hospital in Mountmellick and St Fintan’s Hospital in Portlaoise.
Other projects include designs for a new Portlaoise Primary Care Centre and an extension to the existing health centre in Mountrath to form a Primary Care Centre, which was originally planned for a greenfield site.
The largest allocation of €1,684,200 will go to fire safety improvement works at MRHP, which are currently at tender stage. The extensive works include fire rating upgrades to walls and partitions, fire door replacement, upgrades to fire detection and alarm systems and improvements to emergency lighting.
A further €1,180,000 supports the first phase of a HIQA compliance programme of works for the new 50-bed unit at St Vincent’s Hospital, Mountmellick, which is currently under construction.
St Vincent’s Hospital has also been awarded €140,350 at appraisal stage for the new build and refurbishment of the Community Nursing Unit.
Meanwhile, €1,122,800 will go to the detailed design stage of refurbishment works for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Team 3 at St Fintan’s Hospital, which aims to strengthen mental health supports for young people and families.
The planned Portlaoise Primary Care Centre, to be built on the St Fintan’s Hospital campus, will get €673,680, for the detailed design stage of the new building.
Other funding for MRHP includes €350,000 for the construction of a two-storey emergency department extension for adult and paediatric care, including a Respiratory Assessment Unit, with a further €260,000 going to the purchase and refurbishment of a property adjacent to the hospital, to provide on-call accommodation for staff.
Funding of €224,560 supported the phased delivery of anti-ligature works in the Acute Mental Health Unit at MRHP, a project which has been completed.
Also at MRHP, a grant of €168,420 has been awarded at appraisal stage for a bed capacity proposal, in line with the acute inpatient bed capacity expansion plan.
Hub 24 at St Fintan’s Hospital campus has been granted €196,490 at detailed design stage. The new build will provide both interim and long-term accommodation for the Integrated Care Programme for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Disease, alongside outreach services for older people.
Three projects each allocated €56,140 at appraisal stage are a new Community Mental Health Centre on Bridge Street, Portlaoise, replacing the existing Triogue facility; an extension to the health centre in Mountrath to deliver a Primary Care Centre, and a new High Support Community Residence at St Fintan’s Hospital.
The announcement was welcomed by government TDs from Laois, Willie Aird (FG) and Seán Fleming (FF), who described the funding as a major investment in local health services.
Deputy Aird said: ‘The investments set out in the 2026 HSE capital plan shows our commitment to improve Laois’s health service facilities and ensure better access to care for our patients.’ Deputy Fleming said: ‘The investment today will get many key projects that have been in the pipeline started and bring many others that have been worked on over the line.’
