The HSE says that the relocation of the NowDOC service within Letterkenny will not affect patients – despite there being no timeline for when the relocation will be completed.
NowDOC is set to move from its premises in Oldtown, Letterkenny after what the HSE described in a statement to Donegal Daily as an “accomodation review by the HSE and the subsequent notice requesting vacation of the existing NoWDOC building.”
Major concerns have been raised locally that the relocation could lead to the services provided by being reduced, despite the HSE insisting that will not be the case.
With the Emergency Department at Letterkenny University Hospital often overflowing and patients facing multiple hour waits, the NowDOC service has become even more vital than ever for those who are suffering an urgent – if perhaps not emergency-level – medical episode that requires out-of-hours treatment.
“Patients will not be affected by the relocation of the services,” the HSE has insisted.
According to the HSE, they are “…in the process of finalising plans to relocate to alterative suitable accommodation from which the GP Out of Hours Services can continue to operate effectively and safely in the town on a phased basis.”
However it remains unclear when the relocation will be finished.
The HSE has told Donegal Daily that the “timeline for relocation has been affected as a result of the current recruitment embargo and cannot be finalised at this time.”
According to the HSE, Phase 1 of the relocation involved the indentifying of what they described as “suitable alterative clinical accommodation to transfer GP out of hours clinics to in line with infection control advice.”
“Timely renovation works undertaken in the Errigal Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Hub in Letterkenny will afford the HSE the opportunity to utilise this space.”
The HSE announced early in 2023 that they were to move from Oldtown to the CDM Hub – but the lack of a definitive timeline on when this will be completed raises serious concerns.
Phase 2 of the relocation will involve the incorpoation of …”the nurse triage, call handling and administrative elements of the service in the Letterkenny area with other HSE services to a suitable alternative location.”
It also remains unclear as to whether those operations will be able to be carried out at the CDM Hub, or if they will require a separate second building to carry out the vital administrative work needed to run the NowDOC service effectively for patients.
