Sod turning on new €13M hospice

Tánaiste Simon Harris will be in town today to turn the sod on a new state-of-the art €13M, 16-bed specialist hospice facility for the region.

St Christopher's Hospice is set to undergo a major expansion and refurbishment to meet the specialist palliative care needs of communities in Cavan and Monaghan.

The HSE is funding the core running and fit-out costs, believed to be in region of €11M plus, with the St Christopher's Hospice committee actively fundraising to cover the remaining costs of the planned project. The sod turning will take place on Friday, May 2. The tender process for the new fully-fledged integrated hospice unit is nearing completion with HSE Estates and the appointed design team. Planning permission is in place.

Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2025, with a timeline of between 18-24 months for completion.

St Christopher’s Hospice on the outskirts of Cavan Town is currently operated under a lease agreement by the HSE as a Level 2 Hospice, and also provides inpatient care to 10 patients with advanced neurological conditions.

The proposed redevelopment of the site will reconfigure accommodation at the Loreto Road site to provide consultant rooms and additional accommodation within an extension to the side and rear of the existing facility.

The new building will include dedicated family areas along with the required clinical support facilities.

Additional car parking spaces and landscaping are also provided for.

Staffing of the new specialist hospice will include two specialist palliative care consultants, a clinical nurse manager, a team of at least two dozen nurses and care assistants.

Palliative Care support beds in St Christopher's have already been temporarily relocated to a new facility called ‘Mountain View’ at Glencurran, Carrickaboy, while the new modern hospice is being developed.

Cavan professional golfer, the first Irish woman to win on the Ladies European Tour, and Solheim Cup record breaker Leona Maguire, has taken on the role of patron to St Christopher's.