HSE give 2026 commitment for opening of delayed Ballyhaunis Primary Care Centre
Ballyhaunis councillor Alma Gallagher welcomes commitment that new primary care centre will be operation before the end of the year
An east Mayo councillor has been reassured by HSE officials that the new Ballyhaunis Primary Care Centre will be operational before the end of the year.
The construction stage of the Ballyhaunis Primary Care Centre is due to be completed by the end of this month with only minor works such as painting remaining outstanding.
Ballyhaunis-based councillor Alma Gallagher raised the completion of the project at the HSE Regional Health Forum West meeting yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon. The long awaited primary care centre in the east Mayo town was vacant for a number of years after construction stalled in mid-2021 after the project was no longer economically viable for the developer, Sharpdale Ltd.
The HSE entered negotiations with the developer in 2024 and the project subsequently resumed. It had been anticipated that the construction would be completed at the end of 2025 with the centre becoming operational in early 2026 but deadlines were missed.
Cllr Gallagher was informed that once the practical completion is agreed, the building will be handed over to HSE for equipment fit out and this is currently being coordinated. She told the meeting that the people of Ballyhaunis have become wary of missed deadlines and expressed scepticism that the project will be operational before 2027.
Date for opening
“When will we expect to have an actual firm opening date for Ballyhuanis Primary Care Centre because this project has been going on since 2021. For the people of Ballyhaunis and the people of east Mayo, their patience at this stage now really is wearing thin.
“We've had an awful lot of talk about practical completion dates and those dates being juggled and moved around. So we need to have a firm opening date. And I'm just wondering, is there any more light that you can shed on that? When will this facility actually be opened? We'll have a 12-week period of handover, so really, in practical, realistic terms, it will be 2027, will it not be by the time this facility is opened,” she asked at the meeting.
However, Mary Warde, Integrated Health Area Manager for Mayo was adamant that the care centre will be operational before the end of the year.
“We expect the facility to be opened in 2026, as we've committed to the completion of the works,” she said before adding:
“The majority of the work [is completed]...It's just then kitting out, and all the equipment and everything has been ordered. So we don't expect any delay to bring us into 2027. We do expect that it will be operational in 2026, and that was given in the response by [HSE] estates,” she commented.
Cllr Gallagher welcomed that commitment but added that she hoped she was not asking the same question about opening dates at the next forum meeting.
Additional services
The Fine Gael councillor also welcomed confirmation of services which will be available in the new Ballyhauis Primary Care Centre which will include GP services; Public Health Nursing; Occupational Therapy; Physiotherapy; Speech and Language Therapy and Dental services.
“It's great for a town like Ballyhaunis to have so many services available. We certainly need timely access to these local services, and particularly dental services as well, because our primary school children are actually going to a different county at the moment and are looking for these services that have not been available to us for many years. They are so very much welcome,” she said.
Ms Warde also confirmed that no additional staff will be recruited and existing staff that operated from the old health centre will now transfer to the new building.
Cllr Gallagher was also informed that there is 'no additional cost to the HSE due to the overrun on delivery of this facility'. While welcoming this, she questioned who was picking up the additional cost given the rate of inflation of materials.
“I'm somewhat baffled that there's no additional costs, or who has consumed those additional costs with the rate that inflation has gone over the last few years. But look, it's welcomed that there is none,” she said.