A €1.5 million six-bedroom extension to Galway Hospice is likely to be completed before the end of 2015, after planners approved the project.
Planning permission has been granted by the City Council for a one and two-storey extension to the existing building for extra bedrooms and communal areas, along with a courtyard extension.
The project is expected to take around 12 months to complete and will bring the total number of beds at the palliative care facility to 18.
The plans also include a new access road to be created at the junction of Michael Collins Road, while the existing vehicular access through the church grounds will be blocked.
The planning application reads: “Demand for hospice services has been increasing on an unrelenting basis in recent years. The increase in demand is twofold.
“Firstly, with huge advances within the specialism of hospice/palliative care, significantly greater numbers of cancer patients now receive earlier intervention, leading to improved quality of life and enhanced prognosis.
“Secondly, hospices are now treating many life-limiting conditions other than cancer, greatly increasing the demand for services.
“Funding for the project will derive from the Hospice’s own finances, while the ongoing operational cost will be covered by the HSE.
“The HSE recognises the urgent need for additional beds and services at this time and therefore agreed to financially support the operational costs of this interim development, on the basis that the planned full 26-bed development will not be progressing in the medium term.
“The applicant’s intention is that the proposed hospice extension will provide additional capacity to the existing Hospice by the addition of six new patient rooms.
“The advantage of the layout proposal in extending the current ward is that minimal additional staff members will be required to deal with the additional capacity. Any alternative involves the creation of a new ward with a full staff complement, which would make the project unfeasible,” according to the Hospice.
There are long-term plans for an entirely new facility – possibly on a 10-acre woodland site in the Merlin Park/Doughiska area – with up to 26 beds and space for an additional 26 beds. The existing building in Renmore would be kept on for a “compatible use”
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