New Interim Outpatient Department for Letterkenny Hospital Opens

The rebuild programme at Letterkenny Hospital is underway involving a number of projects being worked on simultaneously, prioritising key patient areas.
 
The Outpatient Department was one of the areas damaged by flood waters and Outpatient clinics were relocated to a number of different temporary locations within the hospital and around the town and county.
 
It was decided to source offsite accommodation for the Outpatient Department (OPD) for a period of two years while the long-term plan for the restoration of the OPD onsite is progressed.
 
Following a detailed and exhaustive evaluation process, a location was selected at Scally Place and work was undertaken to prepare it for clinical use. The building was handed over to the hospital on Monday 02 December.
 
This week a number of clinics will relocate with the intention that by Monday 09 December all outpatient clinics that are currently offsite will run from this new location.
 
Sean Murphy, General Manager, Letterkenny Hospital commented, “Our Outpatient Department was seriously affected by the flood waters. We have been running up to 40 different clinics in temporary locations every week since the end of July and it has been very inconvenient for patients. It has also been inefficient as staff, records, and clinical supplies are required to move from one location to another. I am delighted that we now have an interim location that will meet the needs of our patients and will make life easier for staff.
 
“We are including address details for the Interim Outpatient Department in the letters we send to patients advising them of their next clinic appointment date and time. I would ask all patients to read their letters carefully and not assume that their next appointment will take place in the location where they had their last appointment.
 
“I must stress that this is an interim arrangement only while the rebuild programme is underway at the hospital and I can confirm that OPD services will return to the hospital in due course.
 
“We have a complex schedule of rebuild works underway at the hospital with our priority focused on the Emergency Department and the Acute Medical Assessment Unit (scheduled completion March 2014), the Pharmacy, Cardiac Investigations and Pulmonary Investigations (scheduled completion February 2014). I will keep you updated on progress on these and other projects at the hospital.”