Design team appointed for 50-bed north Mayo nursing unit
Preliminary design stage begins, with ambulance service to relocate from hospital site by Q2 2027
A DESIGN team has been appointed for the proposed 50-bed Community Nursing Unit at Belmullet Hospital, with work now starting on the preliminary design.
The unit will include a 10-bed dementia household.
It will provide residential care for older people in Belmullet and the wider Erris area.
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, confirmed the appointment. She visited Belmullet Hospital this afternoon.
Approval for the design team was received at the end of October and appointment letters were issued earlier this week.
An enabling works package is being progressed alongside the design work.
It will allow the National Ambulance Service to relocate from the hospital site to another location in Belmullet.
Both the preliminary design stage and the NAS relocation are expected to be complete by the second quarter of 2027.
If those milestones are met, the project will move to the preparation of a planning application.
Submission to the planning authority is targeted by the end of 2027.
Taylor McCarney Architects is the lead architect.
TetraTech is the building services engineer, and Garland is the civil and structural engineer. Tom McNamara & Partners is the quantity surveyor.
AtkinRéalis is the project supervisor design process (PSDP).
Maurice Johnson & Partners is the fire safety consultant, and Varming is the energy efficient design consultant. AECOM is the employer's representative.
The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary, welcomed the announcement.
"This is fantastic news for Belmullet and for north Mayo and something that I have been calling for a long time," he said.
"I want to thank the Minister for Health for taking time to visit the hospital in Belmullet this afternoon, the first Minister for Health in many years to do so."
Fine Gael Senator Mark Duffy said the update was given to him today by his party colleague, Minister Carroll MacNeill.
"This is very welcome progress for Belmullet and the wider Erris area," Senator Duffy said.
"The appointment of a strong, experienced design team marks a clear step forward in delivering a modern Community Nursing Unit that will provide high-quality, person-centred care for older people, including specialised dementia support.
"Local people deserve modern facilities that allow them to remain close to their communities, and this project will help make that a reality. I will continue to work with the Minister, the HSE and all stakeholders to keep the project moving as efficiently as possible."
The development forms part of wider investment in community healthcare services in Mayo.
It aims to provide modern residential care that supports independence and quality of life for residents.