Concerns existing Killarney Community Nursing Unit will lie idle once new facility opens

There are concerns the existing Killarney Community Nursing Unit will lie idle once the facility to replace it opens.

Construction is underway on the new 130-bed unit and it’s expected to be completed by end of 2024.

Independent councillor Brendan Cronin fears the existing unit will have a similar fate to St Finan's Hospital, which closed in 2012 and has lain unused since.

He says Kerry County Council should use its leverage to ensure the current nursing unit is used for housing or some other social good.

Cllr Cronin says the council shouldn’t give Áras Phádraig to the HSE to develop into a primary care centre, unless it secures a commitment regarding the current Killarney Community Nursing Unit.