Nenagh's St. Conlon's issue raised with Minister Butler

Sinn Fein TD Martin Browne has raised the decision to change the use of the new community nursing home for Nenagh with Minister Mary Butler.

The Tipperary Sinn Fein TD requested speaking time with the Minister, referring to the decision as a prime example of robbing Peter to pay Paul at the cost of the elderly people in the area and the residents of St Conlon’s.

Teachta Browne said: “Plans were announced to repurpose the new 50-bed community nursing unit in Nenagh to operate instead as a privately-run step-down facility in order to take pressure off University Hospital Limerick.

“It appears that the Minister believes that it is appropriate to deal with a shortage of beds in one area of the Mid-West by transferring the shortage elsewhere in the region at the cost of older people.

“The hope and optimism that was generated through the prospect of moving into the new unit has now been snatched away by this announcement, which has been done with no meaningful engagement.

“This is another example of the elderly being expected to shoulder the burden of a health system that appears to put them last while it struggles with the consequences of the disastrous reconfiguration of services in the Mid-West.

“I raised these issues with Minister Butler.

“During our engagement the Minister again mixed her commitments as the Department of health has done concerning when the unit would be handed back should the decision go ahead. It is after a year? Could it be up to 18 months as I was told in reply to a Parliamentary Question? When the 96 bed unit in UHL opens? What about what the recommendations of the review after 12 months may be? Which will it be? Verbal guarantees are not enough.

“This decision has not been thought through.

“Furthermore, the Minister also presented her argument in terms of an either/or choice – the continued scenes we are witnessing at UHL or the removal from the people of Roscrea of the new 50-bed unit.

“That is an unfair case to put to those in need of this unit. Resolving the capacity issues in the Mid-West and at UHL is the government’s responsibility – it should not be used as a tool to pressure acceptance of this decision.

“In its original purpose, the new unit would help prevent presentations at UHL, as does St Conlon’s.

“The minister’s response to the justifiable fear that if the keys to the new unit are not handed over to staff at St Conlon’s they will never get it back from the private sector, was not acceptable.

“Verbal guarantees don’t work anymore, especially in light of the downgrading and closure of other facilities in recent times.

“I received a commitment to better engagement locally on this, but the key problem remains.”