Letterkenny Community Hospital on schedule to open in 2026

The new Letterkenny Community Hospital currently under construction along Kilmacrennan Road is on schedule to open in the first quarter of 2026.

The net construction cost of the facility is €59 million, with the first floor of the new community hospital to provide two 25-bed households for stepdown or medical rehab use alongside a Rehabilitation Unit.

The Rehabilitation Unit will comprise of Physiotherapy treatment rooms, Occupational Therapy rooms, Speech & Language Therapy room, consultation room and outdoor therapy space.

The ground floor of the development will provide two 25-bed household units which will accommodate 50 long-stay residential beds with outdoor space.

Each household will comprise of single bedrooms with en-suite facilities. There is also one twin room all with en-suite facilities. There is a day room, activity room, dining room with a dedicated kitchenette and an assisted bathroom.

Separate to the household this floor will provide for the main hospital catering department, staff changing/ dining facilities and other service delivery areas.

The lower ground floor will provide a 10-bed Dementia Specific unit which has been designed as a household model with an additional multi-sensory room, quiet room and courtyard spaces/garden. The design of the Dementia unit will support the continued engagement of the residents living with dementia in meaningful person-centered activities.

Separate from the Dementia unit the lower ground floor will also provide for the main entrance, reception area, office space and communal facilities for the hospital such as hairdressers' room, reflective room, visitor room and meeting rooms.

“I visited the site of the new 110-bed facility which is being built at a cost of €59 million at the weekend and was hugely impressed with the progress that has been made over the last twelve months,” the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue said.

“The sod on this state-of-the-art facility was turned exactly one year ago and having spoken to the contractor at the weekend, I am confident that the new hospital will be completed on time and will be up and running in early 2026. The estimated time for completion is 28 months from the contract award.

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“This new nursing unit is a significant development in the provision of healthcare for the older adult population in Letterkenny and Donegal. It will also be of great support to Letterkenny University Hospital and will have the capacity to accommodate a step-down service which is much needed,” Minister McConalogue added.

The project was designed by MCA Architects and local contractor, Boyle Construction, was appointed to build the facility following an open tender process.

“This new community hospital reflects the significant investment we have seen in our health service over the last four and a half years. I’ve worked closely on this project with my party colleague, Cllr Ciaran Brogan, who is a long standing member of the HSE Regional Health Forum West and who was elected as its chair earlier this year,” the Donegal Minister added.