A ten-bed dementia unit is to be developed as part of a new Community Nursing Unit set to be built in Letterkenny.

Details of the multi-million euro project are contained in a tender document which has just been published by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The HSE is inviting applications from contractors to build the 110-bed Community Nursing Unit which will be located on the Kilmacrennan Road at Knocknamona, a short distance from Letterkenny University Hospital.

A shortlist of eight contractors will be drawn up with the winning tender announced early in the new year.

Building work will begin next summer and is expected to last 22 months.

According to the tender document the Community Nursing Unit will provide a mixture of long stay residential and short-term rehabilitation beds.

It will be made up of what the HSE describes as four ‘25 bed households’ and one ‘ten bed dementia household’.

Each household will have its own dayroom as well as sun rooms, activities room, quiet room and dining room with dedicated kitchens and staff base.

The dementia household will be located on the ground floor and will have a courtyard as well as a range of communal facilities.

“The ten bed dementia household is located on the lower ground floor of the western block with its own dedicated courtyard,” the tender document reveals.

“The dementia household has similar accommodation to the 25 bed households with the addition of a multi-sensory room. The lower floor to the eastern block contains the main entrance and reception as well as the communal facilities of the hairdressers room, reflection room, clinical treatment room and visitors room.”

The rehabilitation unit located on the first floor will comprise of physio treatment cubicles, occupational therapy room, physio activity room alongside treatment rooms and consultation rooms with outdoor therapy space. There will also be offices, a clean utility room, dirty utility room, assisted bathroom, store rooms and a housekeeper’s room.

The HSE added that the unit will meet the “National Quality Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People and will be fully compliant with the Health Act 2007 providing appropriate facilities to enable a high quality of care for long and short stay residents”.

Interested parties have until January 31 to apply for the contract.