THE Health Service Executive (HSE) is assessing bed numbers at Bandon Community Hospital after a councillor warned that a shortage of long-stay beds at the Hospital Lane facility was impacting the community.

Cllr Ann Bambury (SD) raised the issue last November at the HSE South West Regional Forum calling for urgent action to address the shortfall in bed capacity.

At the time she asked for specifics on measures, actions, timelines, staffing supports, capital investment and other initiatives being taken to progress expansion of services at the hospital.

The hospital currently provides just 25 beds, four of which are respite, and remains at the centre of local concern over capacity with families complaining that they have to send their elderly loved ones to community hospitals elsewhere which involves lengthy round trips to visit them and can leave them feeling isolated.

The HSE confirmed that it is currently procuring, through the eTenders process, a design team to undertake an assessment of healthcare infrastructural needs across the region.

The assessment will examine population demographics and service requirements within the region and will inform plans for future healthcare development, subject to capital funding and approvals.

The studies are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027 and will include consideration of Older Persons Services requirements within the Bandon region.

Welcoming the response Cllr Bambury said: ‘It is vital that we continue to plan now for the significant demographic changes that are already under way. Older citizens from Bandon and its hinterland cannot wait, we need to get a plan in place in the coming months.’

Cllr Bambury highlighted that Ireland is experiencing one of the fastest-ageing populations in Europe.

She referenced a recent presentation by Dr Niamh Bambury, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, which identified a significant and growing older population cohort across West Cork.

She also pointed to recent research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which projects that long-term residential care beds and home support services will need to increase by at least 60% by 2040 to meet future demand.

‘These findings reinforce the case I have consistently made for additional long-stay beds and improved older-person-centred care in West Cork,’ she said.

‘Bandon Community Hospital has enormous potential to develop as an ageing hub and extended healthcare campus serving Bandon, its hinterland, and the wider West Cork region.’

Bandon is now the largest town in West Cork, with a population of 8,196 as of the 2022 Census and is also the third fastest growing town in Cork County.

‘There is ample room for expansion at the existing site, and opportunities also exist to retrofit older parts of the hospital to accommodate additional beds,’ said Cllr Bambury.

‘Given Bandon’s growing population and strategic importance within West Cork, we need to ensure that healthcare infrastructure keeps pace with demand.’

Cllr Bambury said she will continue to engage with the HSE and monitor the progress of the Integrated Design Team’s work to ensure that the future needs of older people in Bandon and West Cork remain a priority.

She concluded: ‘We have a recent piece of research commissioned by the West Cork Development Partnership titled ‘A Profile of Bandon in the 2020’s’ which strongly supports the need for more and improved infrastructure, I have circulated this to the executive team for HSE South West.

‘Our older citizens deserve access to high-quality care close to home, and I will continue working to ensure that the necessary investment is delivered.’

‘I will continue to raise this issue at every opportunity and advocate strongly for the expansion of Bandon Community Hospital. ‘