I thank the Minister of State for coming in. I raise the issue of the slow reopening of beds in Killybegs Community Hospital. Since December only two beds have been reopened. At a time when we see our hospitals under such huge pressure, this is very worrying for families and patients in south-west Donegal.

I want to state clearly the staff in Killybegs Community Hospital are doing their very best. Nurses, healthcare assistants and all staff are working extra hours and going beyond the call of duty to keep the 22 beds currently open there running smoothly. They deserve great credit and support. However, staff can only do so much without proper resourcing and staffing levels. I am asking the Minister of State and the HSE to explain why more beds have not been reopened and what is being done to speed up the process. Some practical steps that could help include faster recruitment of nurses and healthcare assistants; offering flexibility of part-time hours to attract more staff; bringing back retired staff who may be willing to help; using temporary agency staff until permanent staff are hired; providing extra supports for rural hospitals like Killybegs Community Hospital and other community hospitals across the country; improving recruitment timelines; and filling posts more quickly.

Community hospitals are vital for older people and families. They want to be close to their loved ones at home. People in Killybegs, Kilcar, Carrick, Glencolumbkille, Ardara, Glenties and Dunkineely deserve a clear plan and timeline of the reopening of these beds as soon as possible. Every week I get phone calls to my office and myself from patients looking for beds in Killybegs Community Hospital. We have to travel a long distance to Letterkenny. It might be two hours of a round trip and it is the same to Sligo. These beds are in the hospital – all we need is the staff. Is there any chance we can get this up and going as soon as possible? The people of this area really rely on this hospital. We deserve the beds there. There is nothing worse than someone ringing you and you cannot get them into the community hospital in Killybegs. They might only need a bit of respite for a couple of weeks to give the people at home a bit of time to themselves. I appeal to the Minister of State to try to help me get these 13 beds up and going again.

I thank Senator Boyle for raising this important matter. I join him in acknowledging the great work of the staff there. I also acknowledge the vital healthcare role that Killybegs Community Hospital plays and the excellent level of care it provides to residents and their families in the Killybegs community and surrounding areas.

I advise the Senator that the maximum capacity in Killybegs Community Hospital is 33 beds, with 13 long-term care beds and 20 short-term care beds. The HSE has advised that there are currently 22 beds open, comprising 13 long-term and nine short-term beds. While all of the available long-term care beds in Killybegs Community Hospital are occupied, there are currently 11 short-term care beds that are not operational. Killybegs Community Hospital cannot admit any more residents at the present time as the opening of additional beds is dependent on safe staffing levels. To ensure the safety of both residents and staff, bed capacity is configured around adequate staffing levels and an appropriate staff skill mix must be in place.

There are challenges in recruiting staff in community nursing units and community hospitals in more rural locations such as Killybegs. I assure the Senator that HSE West and North West is committed to filling all vacant posts in Killybegs Community Hospital and will continue to explore all available options to fill these posts.

The service has been liaising closely with HR colleagues to ensure that roles at Killybegs Community Hospital are prioritised for recruitment in order to help support the opening of the closed beds. On foot of a recruitment campaign for nurses and multitask attendants for the hospital, three nurses are currently progressing through the recruitment system. One has a confirmed start date and two are undergoing employment clearances. Additionally, one multitask attendant is currently at job acceptance stage. It is anticipated that these staff members will take up post between June and July 2026, allowing for the opening of six of the 11 beds. A further multitask attendant recruitment campaign specifically targeted at Killybegs Community Hospital is planned in the coming weeks. This will allow for the opening of the remaining five beds, demonstrating the continued focus and commitment to addressing staffing shortfalls. The HSE has also engaged with employment agencies to explore the provision of staff to support the reopening of beds. Unfortunately, agency capacity in the Killybegs area remains very limited. Despite these challenges, the service continues to actively pursue all available avenues to secure the necessary workforce.

I assure Senator Boyle that I, the Department of Health and the HSE are fully committed to addressing this issue and to ensuring that Killybegs Community Hospital will be operating at full capacity at the earliest possible date. The HSE has committed to reopening all the closed beds on a phased basis pending the successful recruitment of staff. As already stated, it is looking to open six of the 11 beds once the staff are in place in June and July.

The HSE West and North West will continue to engage with residents and their families, staff and the wider community on all updates in relation to the opening of the closed beds in Killybegs Community Hospital. I am very committed to getting beds that are closed in existing public community nursing home facilities opened. The Senator has made a very valid point. As I have said, staff are on the way and are being recruited to get five of the 11 beds open in June and July when they are in place. A further recruitment campaign is about to commence to get the staff necessary to facilitate the open of the remaining six beds. It is hugely important for the people in the Killybegs area that the hospital has its full complement of beds open.

The Minister of State has responsibility for older people. I totally understand what he is trying to do here. It is great that six beds will be opened in June and July. That is great news for the people in Killybegs Community Hospital. I know the HSE faces staffing challenges. However, we have to target small community hospitals throughout the country, including the one in Killybegs. Hospitals need to have beds reopened. For a small community in south-west Donegal, six beds are great. We need to get all 11 opened. As the Minister of State will know from being in public life, we often get a phone call on a Friday evening from a family looking for a bed when there is no bed there and we end up ringing around. These people just want to be close to their loved ones. It is a long distance from Killybegs to the hospitals in Letterkenny and Sligo. I am very appreciative that the beds are reopening. I ask the Minister of State to double down to make sure that all 11 are opened as soon as possible.

I again thank Senator Boyle for raising this important issue on behalf of the people in the Killybegs area. As I have already outlined, there are currently 22 beds operational in Killybegs Community Hospital, 11 of which are currently closed. It is hoped that the staff will be in place in June and July to open six of the 11 beds that are unopened. A multitask attendant recruitment campaign targeted strictly at Killybegs Community Hospital is planned in the coming weeks allowing for the opening of the remaining five beds. This demonstrates the continued focus and commitment to addressing the staff shortfalls.

I assure Senator Boyle that all efforts are being made on a continual basis to ensure appropriate staffing is in place to maximise the residential capacity in Killybegs Community Hospital, including ongoing recruitment campaigns. The HSE is committed to reopening all the closed beds pending the successful recruitment of staff.

As I said, six beds will reopen in June and July. A recruitment campaign is under way to get the staffing levels in place to open the remaining five of the 11 beds. As Minister of State with responsibility for older people, I, the Department of Health and the HSE are committed to ensuring that all available residential care services for older people at Killybegs Community Hospital are fully operational as soon as possible.