I am very shocked and quite angry at some of the news that is coming from Drogheda, County Louth, today. The 14 step-down beds in Cottage Hospital are under threat. These are vital beds that at times serve very vulnerable and elderly people who are freeing up beds in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital but who cannot go directly home. The beds in Cottage Hospital are to assist these people in making it back home again. The thought that these people might have to travel to Dundalk or even further is just unthinkable. There are 30 staff in the hospital, very loyal staff, some of whom have been there for up to 35 years. They were told by text that the beds are under threat. That is simply not acceptable.

This hospital has been under threat for years. In 2012, I marched with local people to try to stop its closure. In 2015, long-term care was removed. In 2021, the then health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, visited the hospital regarding an upgrade, but now I am hearing that the 14 beds on the top floor are under threat. The downstairs of the hospital has clinics, the doctor on call and the ambulance service. There is no question but that it needs an upgrade. The hospital has been in place since 1907 and has provided an invaluable service to the town and must be protected at all costs. I will certainly do everything in my power to make sure that the HSE reverses this decision.

My own grand-aunt was the midwife in the hospital when it was the maternity hospital. They say she delivered half the town. I certainly will not allow the bed closure to happen if it is unwarranted and unneeded. We need to make sure our elderly people are looked after in their own hometown and not removed. Of course, if the jobs can be protected within the hospital, we need to do that. There is a wider discussion to be had on looking after our smaller healthcare facilities in communities right across the country.