A new Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons (ICPOP) Hub is set to open in Mallow, bringing faster, closer-to-home care for older people across North Cork.
The announcement has been welcomed by Cork North West Fine Gael TD, Deputy John Paul O’Shea, who described the development as “a very positive step for North Cork.”
The new ICPOP Hub will provide rapid access to specialist assessments and coordinated care for older people living with complex needs or frailty. The service will aim to keep people safe and well at home, helping to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions.
Deputy O’Shea praised the HSE South West for progressing recruitment and governance for the new service. “The Mallow ICPOP Hub will give older people rapid access to specialist multidisciplinary assessment and support—helping them stay safe and well at home. I want to acknowledge the HSE South West for moving to recruit the team and to progress interim governance so the service can ‘stand up’ over the coming weeks while the appointment of the Consultant Geriatrician for the Hub is finalised,” he said.
He added that the initiative would make a real difference to families across the region. “Many families in North Cork know how difficult it can be when an older relative is at risk of a fall, living with frailty or dementia, and needs quick, coordinated care. The ICPOP hub brings together Consultant Geriatricians, specialist nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians and rehab assistants to deliver exactly that. Crucially, access is through a person’s GP, including for residents of nursing homes and residential care facilities.”
The Mallow-based hub will complement existing ICPOP services already operating in Cork South, Cork North City, and Kerry, along with a satellite hub currently being developed in Bantry. These form part of the national Sláintecare model of integrated healthcare, designed to deliver more joined-up and community-based services across the country.
“Today’s announcement is about bringing care closer to people’s homes, relieving pressure on emergency departments and hospital wards, and giving older people the dignity of timely, specialist care in their own communities,” Deputy O’Shea concluded. “I’ll continue to work with the HSE to see the Mallow service fully established and to ensure strong links with local GPs and community services in the area.”
