Call for review of hospice site selection
By Rebekah O'Reilly
A local councillor has called for a full investigation into the abandonment of the original site for the planned Midlands Regional Hospice, adjacent to Tullamore hospital.
Independent Ireland councillor Fergus McDonnell made the call at the most recent meeting of Offaly County Council on Monday of this week.
The Edenderry councillor had proposed the matter for consideration as a motion; however, he was unsuccessful in having it adopted to the agenda of the July meeting.
In the wording of the proposed motion, Cllr McDonnell requested that Offaly County Council ask Health Minister Jennifer Carroll McNeill to "authorise and oversee a full investigation, publish all material and considerations grounding the decision to abandon the original agreed site adjacent to Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore for the new Midlands Regional Hospice".
He added that such an investigation "should include full disclosure of all records, correspondence, and minutes of meetings between HSE personnel, third parties and Tullamore Lions Club clearly stating the decision to set aside the original agreed site in favour of Arden Lane site”.
Planning approval was granted earlier this year for the develoment of the Midlands Regional Hospice at the Arden Lane site.
A heated discussion took place at Monday's meeting as Cllr McDonnell pressed the council executive for answers as to why the proposed motion was refused a platform for discussion at the meeting.
“I think I'm entitled to an answer,” Cllr McDonnell said, adding that the executive “need to account for” the exclusion of the matter.
“What are they afraid of? It's reasonable to expect an explanation,” he stated.
Cllr John Leahy, who sits on the Corporate Policy Group (CPG), the council body which approves motions for discussion, said there were policies in place and Cllr McDonnell had “broken the terms and conditions” that were in place.
“It wasn't in our remit,” Cllr Leahy said of the abandonment of the Tullamore Hospital site for the Midlands Hospice.
“You've gotten your headline now, and you've done this in a very disrespectful manner. If we don't follow the rules it's just anarchy in the chamber.”
Cllr McDonnell rejected Cllr Leahy's claim that he was looking for a headline, adding: “It's about accountability.”
Cllr Leahy responded that the reason was “not for public consumption” and members had to abide by what management had set out.
Cllr McDonnell said he felt the refusal to air the motion had led to “confusion, control, and censorship”.
“If anyone can point out in my motion where it makes reference to planning... I was given two answers from two different people [as to why it wasn't included]. Planning and Freedom of Information (FOI) were the answers I got.”
Offaly County Council chief executive Eoghan Ryan said: “[The issue is] more directed towards the health services, we're not privy to that information. The members should be focused on the issues of this council.”
The original proposed site close to the Midlands Regional Hospital, Tullamore, had been offered to Offaly Hospice by the HSE for planning and development.
Offaly Hospice spent over €300,000 on work relating to the originally proposed site, with funds raised entirely by the community rather than through State resources.
Discussions over the site began in 2021, and continued through to 2025, with a promise by the HSE to return the €300,000 to Offaly Hospice still unresolved.
The hospice, formally known as the Midlands Specialist Palliative Care Unit, was granted permission this year for the greenfield site on Arden Lane, Tullamore. The €24 million project received its final grant of planning approval in June.