Stephen Donnelly praises Wicklow Hospice for significant progress in services provided

The visit followed on from the new national Palliative Care Policy launched by the minister, the first such strategy document for the services in over 20 years. Wicklow Hospice has been selected as a 'phase 1' site which will include new and improved services.

Wicklow Hospice at Magheramore was officially opened in January of 2020. The 3.5 acre site was donated by the Columban Sisters, with over €6 million raised through fundraisers held over the previous eleven years

Minister Donnelly said: "Whether it is end-of-life-care, symptom control, respite or care in the home, the team at Wicklow Hospice deserve recognition for everything they do.

"I was also pleased to recognise the progressive work underway at the hospice in conjunction with the community services. Wicklow Hospice is now a specialist training site for doctors who want to be consultants in palliative medicine, while specialist GP training is also happening here in Wicklow.

"Last year this hospice provided in-patient care to 207 people from Wicklow, with over half of referrals from the home and the remainder from our acute hospitals. Nearly 400 more patients were seen at home with over 2,000 home visits.

"As Minister for Health I am proud to fund Wicklow Hospice with almost €5 million a year in funding. I was also pleased that as Minister I have been able to increase the budget for palliative care and that funding from this government means the hospice was able to pay off its bank loan earlier this year.

"This week I also launched the new national palliative care strategy which will transform palliative care services further over the next seven years."

The policy aims to strengthen and develop our palliative care services in Ireland to ensure all patients with a life-limiting illness, and their families, can access the appropriate care where and when they need it.

€2 million is being provided in 2024 to begin implementation of this new policy, while further funding for 2025 and beyond will be subject to the annual estimates process.

It has been developed to facilitate high quality patient-centred care through an integrated approach across primary, acute and social care settings, taking into account the range of patients requiring palliative care services, as well as the projected increase in Ireland's older population.

The policy contains 25 recommendations, including improving the public understanding of palliative care and support community engagement programmes in conjunction with service providers and voluntary groups. It will also provide support to GPs and other community-based service providers to care for more people with palliative care needs in the home setting.