Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly is set to visit Letterkenny University Hospital on Friday, November 24th, to meet with consultants and GPs who have expressed grave concerns about the hospital’s emergency department.
The Minister’s visit will come three weeks after the Performance Management and Improvement Unit (PMIU) began their review into all systems across the hospital.
The review was ordered by Minister Donnelly after 78 Donegal GPs, subsequently backed by 11 consultants, sent letters calling for an external review and action plan. GPs shared serious concerns for patient safety in the overcrowded ED, while consultants warned that the hospital is at risk of “service collapse” unless an intervention takes place.
Minister Donnelly has scheduled a meeting with GP representatives, hospital staff representatives and hospital management next week. He will also be briefed on the work to date of the PMIU.
Donegal Minister Charlie McConalogue, who announced the upcoming visit, said that the findings of the PMIU review, which is expected to take around six weeks, will hopefully lead to a more efficient level of service and care for patients.
Minister McConalogue said: “Since this government went into office, it has worked hard to support the staff and management at Letterkenny University Hospital through allocating increased funding and investing in additional resources in terms of providing extra beds, extra staff and extra funding. It’s crucial that we see this extra funding result in the type of hospital the people of Donegal deserve. To this end, the appointment of the PMIU by Minister Donnelly is vitally important in ensuring that the resources being invested deliver optimum results.
Minister Donnelly will turn the sod on the new 110-bed community hospital in Letterkenny which will be located close to Letterkenny University Hospital on the opposite side of the road.
This new facility, which is being built at a cost of €59 million, represents the most significant investment in our health services in Donegal for several years.
Minister McConalogue said: “The new hospital, which is scheduled to be up and running in the first quarter of 2026, will also have a major impact in relation the step-down facilities for Letterkenny University Hospital,” the Minister added.
“The investment in a new community hospital for Letterkenny represents a further step on from the significant investment we’ve seen in primary care services across the county under this government, including the delivery of new primary care centres in Buncrana, Newtowncunningham, Donegal Town, Ballyshannon and Dunfanaghy.
“I look forward to Minister Donnelly’s visit and meeting with the key stakeholders. I am also looking forward to contributing to the ongoing work to ensure that we continue to invest in and develop our services at Letterkenny University Hospital, and across the primary health care services in our county,” Minister McConalogue said.
