New healthcare jobs for Offaly

Offaly is to get 20 of the 80 jobs a health company is expected to create this year. Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week Nua Healthcare's Edward Dunne said the jobs for Offaly will include twelve or 13 full time posts and seven part time and will be a mix of social care workers, nurses and care staff. The care provider company already has a specialist residential and day care facility in Edenderry for young people living with high functioning autism. Mr Dunne said that while a final decision on the location of additional facilities in Offaly has yet to be made it's thought expansion will take place in Edenderry. Mr Dunne also said the company might have "more news for Offaly" in the elderly care sector later in the year. The company is to expand its current services in Kildare, Laois and Offaly by opening several additional specialist child and adolescent facilities. Nua Healthcare, which currently employs over 180 full time staff, provides specialised residential, respite and day services to individuals with a broad range of diagnosis including intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, mental health issues and asperger's syndrome amongst others. "We've identified Offaly as a county we're going to continue development in," Mr Dunne explained, adding that the new facility for the county should be "acquired and launched within six months".