Sir, - I refer to the leading article on the suggested sale of St Brendan's Hospital, Grangegorman, in the property section of The Irish Times on March 6th. With the continuing development of services and the progressive transfer to community settings, large older institutional type buildings such as St Brendan's are being scaled down over a number of years.
However, your article gave the impression that the closure of the hospital was imminent, and suggested the property might come on the market later this year. I wish to state that no commitment or decision to dispose of any portion of the St Brendan's complex has been taken by our board. Any rationalisation programme will at all times be guided by the needs of patients, patients' relatives and the staff of St Brendan's Hospital. - Yours, etc.,
Estate management officer,
Eastern Health Board,
Dublin.