Former welfare home occupancy level remains low with facility under review

“The occupancy level at St Francis Welfare Home is currently low, and its future use is under review,” a HSE spokesperson has told The Avondhu, regarding the Fermoy facility.

The former welfare home, reopened in April 2020 having been refurbished to serve as a transitional care facility during the pandemic.

According to the HSE, the facility has been used for patients who have finished their treatment in an acute hospital but who are still in need of care on a temporary basis.

“Some patients will be awaiting placement in a community hospital or nursing home, while others may be awaiting the provision of additional supports at home. It has not been used for Covid-19 specific purposes, but it did allow us to create extra capacity overall in the healthcare system at the time when it was much needed,” the spokesperson added.

Previously, the HSE had stated that the facility was being reviewed as part of a proposal which was being developed regarding the short to medium term bed-capacity and residential service delivery for older persons in the Cork and Kerry region.

Proposals put forward at the time incorporated proposed staffing, skill-mix and governance structures and would be subject to national approval and funding. Despite this, the Welfare Home remains open as a transitional bed unit on a temporary basis, albeit on very low occupancy.

Prior to its re-purposing, St Francis Welfare Home lay vacant and on very short notice, the site was set up and staffed on a temporary basis from within existing resources to provide community bed capacity for the anticipated surge in Covid-19 within the acute hospital setting.