Wicklow day care row escalates as councillor accuses HSE of breaking pledge on service relocation
The Wicklow PeopleThe dispute over the relocation of Blessington’s Older Persons Day Care Service has escalated sharply, with Cllr Gerry O’Neill accusing the HSE of breaking a commitment to delay the move, and of ignoring viable alternatives that would have kept older people in the Coimín Centre until a permanent home was secured.
The HSE, meanwhile, insists the transfer to the Primary Care Centre was “successful”, “fit for purpose” and carried out with minimal disruption.
Cllr O’Neill said he initially believed the parish committee was responsible for the licence issue at the Coimín Centre, but later learned the committee had sought a meeting with senior HSE management as far back as January 2026 to discuss the lease expiring in June 2026. No such meeting ever took place.
He said this failure of engagement set the tone for months of confusion, frustration and what he now believes was a predetermined plan to move the service into the Primary Care Centre regardless of local concerns.
As the representative for Wicklow County Council on the HSE Dublin and Midlands Regional Health Forum, Cllr O’Neill said he has spent months in meetings and correspondence trying to establish whether the Coimín Centre could remain in use while a long term solution was developed.
He said he repeatedly raised concerns about the suitability of the Primary Care Centre for day care services, describing the upstairs accommodation as cramped and unsafe, with 18 people in one small room, no wash facilities, no kitchen and evacuation challenges in the event of an emergency. He said existing HSE staff in the building had also been discommoded by the move.
A public meeting held in the Coimín Centre on May 20 led to the formation of an action committee, which has since sent dozens of letters to relevant bodies.
A second public meeting on June 9 invited the HSE, the parish committee and the day care committee to explain their positions. Only the parish committee attended. The HSE declined to attend and the day care committee responded “no comment”.
Cllr O’Neill said he secured a meeting with senior HSE management in Naas on June 16, attended by two committee members. He said the HSE promised direct engagement with the parish committee and agreed to extend the departure date from June 30 to July 17 to allow discussions on renewing the lease.
The HSE subsequently wrote to the parish committee with a list of conditions for remaining in the Coimín Centre. Most were accepted, though the parish sought discussion on updated costings. One condition, that the two CE Scheme workers in the centre would have to be members of the day care committee, was described by Cllr O’Neill as “very strange” and, in his view, not originating from the HSE.
Blessington Day Care is based in the Coimín Centre.
Despite the assurance that no move would take place before July 17, Cllr O’Neill said the Coimín Centre was cleared out on June 30 and the service relocated immediately to the Primary Care Centre.
At the July municipal district meeting he questioned Cllr Jason Mulhall, now a member of the day care committee, on why he participated in the move after previously supporting a council motion calling for older people to remain in the Coimín Centre until a permanent facility was secured.
Cllr O’Neill said two separate offers have been made to refurbish the old health centre on Kilbride Road, which the county council has agreed to sell. One offer came from a builder willing to purchase and refurbish the building for immediate use under a long term lease to the HSE.
A second offer came from a local family willing to buy and fully refurbish the building with a long term lease to the HSE and no profit. He described both as “genuine and good offers” and said the parish committee had also offered to extend use of the Coimín Centre for one to two years while refurbishment works were completed.
The HSE, in a statement, said the temporary relocation was “carefully planned to ensure continuity of service” and completed with “minimal disruption”. It said the primary care centre has proven to be “a safe, accessible and fit for purpose environment that meets the needs of service users and staff”, and said it had received correspondence from the day care committee thanking the HSE for its support.
The HSE thanked service users, families, staff and the community for their cooperation and said it remains committed to identifying and developing a long term solution for older persons’ day care services in Blessington.
Cllr O’Neill said he is now dealing with different HSE management and believes there is a more open discussion underway about long term provision. He said Blessington is a growing town with increasing numbers of older people who need proper facilities.