A new €16m community hospital in Dingle, Co Kerry, is to open after the Health Information and Quality Authority today granted it a certification of registration.
The registration had been delayed since July because HIQA had serious concerns about a number of issues, including the size of twin-bedded rooms in the new facility.
The authority has now granted registration for the opening of 46 beds, with the remaining 22 beds to open on a phased basis.
In a statement, HIQA says that under no circumstances would the authority compromise on what is required to ensure the safety of residents, but added that regulations and standards are enforced in a way that is also practical, pragmatic and sensible.
The transfer of 43 patients from the 162-year-old St Elizabeth's Hospital in the town will begin on Wednesday 27 October.
The Health Service Executive has already begun informing patients and their families.
The new 68-bed facility, which includes a secure unit for patients with advanced dementia, was designed in 2002 and handed over to the HSE in December 2008.
Welcoming today's announcement, the HSE said the registration recognises the new community hospital was designed to conform to the Residential Care Standards, introduced since 2009, when HIQA became responsible for the registration and inspection of all residential care services for older people.
