Hospice expected to re-open early next year
St Christopher’s Hospice is expected to reopen by the first quarter next year, and is now “well on the way to completion”, according to chairperson Jim Lalor.
He believes the hospice will be “transformative” for the people who need it across Cavan and Monaghan.
The specialist palliative care unit, which is being delivered in partnership with the HSE, is located on the outskirts of Cavan Town but caters for the population of both counties. The new facility will include an inpatient unit with 16 private bedrooms (ensuite) for patients requiring specialist palliative and end of life care.
Each of these rooms will open out onto a courtyard with a green area with a cover for rain. “It’s a magnificent building,” Mr Lalor enthused.
“This will be transformative.”
It will also include a Palliative Care Hub, with an outpatient facility including a rapid access diagnostic services, and a specialist day hospital with capacity for infusions, transfusions, and a lymphedema service. It will also contain a physical therapies unit with capacity for prehabilitation and rehabilitation, while the hospice will also include a Creative Therapies Unit including art, music, creative and complimentary therapies.
“There is a social side to it,” he said, describing how people will be invited to volunteer to provide this.
Fundraising
Speaking to the Celt, Mr Lalor said continued fundraising for St Christopher’s Hospice will go towards a Patient Comfort Fund, which will support patients in the hospice and at home.
This fund has been accumulating since works on the hospice began in June last year. While they have provided this type of funding in the past, the board anticipates it will be “more widely used now” since the funding of the building is complete.
Mr Lalor did not to disclose the amount raised to date but said that figure will be available in the charity’s end of year accounts.
The fund will go towards purchasing equipment or services deemed necessary for the patient, which is not already covered by the HSE.
“The home care team can advise on needs in the home, and the Patient Comfort Fund can provide this where deemed necessary,” he explained.
The fund, for example, could cover night nursing in the patient’s home if approved.
The fund will be “very carefully administered where it is deemed necessary,” assured Mr Lalor.
“Anything that the patient needs in the home for their care, we would look after that,” he said.
“Our job going forward will be emphasising patient comfort and the non-medical needs of patients,” Mr Lalor said, while the “upkeep of the grounds” will also remain the responsibility of the St Christopher’s Board.
Mr Lalor added that they will “support” works in the hospice building where necessary or appropriate.
Meanwhile, the cost of the day-to-day running of the hospice will be met by the HSE.
A spokesperson from the HSE confirmed that the construction of the extension and internal refurbishment of St Christopher’s Hospice is “ongoing”.
“It is anticipated that building works will conclude in Q1, 2027. The total cost in delivering this project is currently estimated at €14.9M,” they stated.