Opening of Athlone injury unit delayed by several months

The opening of a new Athlone injury unit, which aims to help reduce the demand on the Emergency Departments at Portiuncula and Tullamore hospitals, has been delayed.

During the summer it was indicated that the facility, which is to be located at the Clonbrusk Primary Care Centre, would be open before the end of this year.

However, in response to questions from the Westmeath Independent, the HSE this week revealed the timeline had been pushed back and the opening was now "tentatively planned" for the second quarter of 2026 (between April and June).

Injury units such as the one in Athlone are designed to treat those with minor injuries, meaning that they would not then have to attend an Emergency Department.

The types of conditions expected to be treated at the injury unit include broken bones, sprains, minor facial injuries, wounds, and minor burns.

The Department of Health said previously that the Athlone facility "is expected to offer services for both adults and children over five years old, with on-site x-ray diagnostics available".

In an update this week, a HSE spokesperson said it was currently "working to operationalise" the injury unit for Athlone.

"It is likely that the new unit will operate a 7-day-a-week service with opening hours of 8am to 8pm," the spokesperson said.

"The new unit will be staffed by a multidisciplinary team including medical, nursing, radiology, and support personnel. Various grades of staff are required to support the injury unit, and recruitment has commenced and is ongoing."

In a written response to a Dáil question in June, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill mentioned that there were 15 injury units in operation nationally and that locations had been agreed for six additional injury units in Athlone, Tallaght, Carlow, Killarney, Ballina and Letterkenny.

"The injury units in Athlone and Carlow are expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2025," the Minister stated at that time.

Commenting last July on the anticipated benefits of the Athlone unit would bring, Louisea Burke, general manager of Midlands Regional Hospital Tullamore, said: "The plans to open the local injury unit in Athlone mark a significant step forward in improving access to urgent care for the people of the Midlands.

"By treating minor injuries locally, we can ease the burden on our Emergency Departments and ensure patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

"We are committed to delivering a high-quality service that meets the needs of the community," she added.