Two new Community Nursing Units to bring 125 beds for older people in Mayo

Plans for two new community nursing units in Mayo have taken a significant step forward, with HSE West and North West confirming progress on developments in Ballina and Belmullet that will provide 125 beds for older people once complete.

A design team led by Taylor McCarney Architects has been appointed to develop the new 75-bed Ballina Community Nursing Unit, to be built on the grounds of Ballina District Hospital.

The project will see 31 long-stay beds from St Augustine's amalgamated with the replacement of 27 beds on the male side of Ballina District Hospital.

Twenty beds on the existing female side will remain in operation during construction and will be reviewed for continued use once the project is complete.

Construction on the Ballina unit is expected to begin in 2028 and take two years, with the facility due to be operational in 2030.

In Belmullet, a design team is to be appointed in the coming weeks for a new 50-bed Community Nursing Unit.

The development will amalgamate 29 long-stay beds from Áras Deirbhile with 13 short-stay beds from Belmullet District Hospital, resulting in eight additional beds overall.

Work on the Belmullet unit is set to begin in 2028 and take 18 months, with the facility also due to open in 2030.

The units are designed around a person-centred model of care, allowing older people to continue directing their own lives in line with their cognitive and physical abilities, in a setting intended to reflect the comforts of home.

Mary Warde, Integrated Healthcare Area Manager for Mayo, said the facilities were very welcome for the provision of older persons' services across the county.

She said they would offer the most modern standard of care in a homely and warm atmosphere, and described the projects as representing a commitment to Mayo's ageing population and to ensuring the best level of care is provided locally.