Bantry mental health unit to close for four months

BANTRY mental health unit is to close for four months as part of a €2.5m refurbishment project.

The unit which is on the grounds of Bantry Hospital, will close until the end of January to allow for a complete refurbishment of the ground and first floor facilities.

‘I’ve been contacted by many concerned constituents who are worried that the Bantry Centre for Mental Health Care will be closing permanently. This is absolutely not the case,’   Fianna Fáil TD Christopher O’Sullivan told The Southern Star.

The refurbishment project follows on from a Mental Health Commission recommendation that was made in September 2022 seeking to reduce the number of beds in the acute mental health facility from 18 to 11 in order to meet statutory regulations regarding adequate personal space and privacy for residents.

Funding for the project was announced in July, and the HSE issued a statement saying the bed number at the centre would reduce to 15, but would revert to 18 when the work was complete.

Deputy O’Sullivan said he has received assurances that the centre will reopen – at full capacity – by January 31st.

He said the HSE was informed that if they were to try and refurbish the unit – with the patients in situ – then the works may have taken up to 76 weeks to complete, so they are now working on accommodating the existing service users and staff.

A HSE spokesperson said the centre in Bantry needs substantial building and renovation. ‘These works will allow us to continue to provide a quality service at the centre into the future, and to meet our regulatory obligations,’ said a HSE statement.

 ‘We are currently considering options on how to move ahead with this ambitious renovation project, so that we can offer services from a renovated, fit-for-purpose building as soon as possible.

‘We had previously stated that we would need to reduce capacity at the centre during the works. We are considering temporarily reducing capacity to zero for a short time during the works. ie we may need to move current patients from the centre for a short time during the works. We are also conscious that the scale of the work involved means that it may be distressing and disturbing for unwell patients to remain onsite during the renovation.

 ‘It is important to stress that even if this temporary move takes place, it would be for as short a time as possible and would enable us to move ahead with these important works as quickly as possible. We would welcome patients back to a vastly improved centre in a matter of months and while construction timelines can change, the building contractor advises that the project should take in the region of 16 weeks if they have full access to the centre - ie there are no patients resident there.’