Bed closures at Raheen Community Hospital have been described as fool hardy and short-sighted and the Health Minister is being urged to intervene immediately.
Yesterday the HSE announced that as part of moves to reign in spending, it was shutting down 65 beds at five facilities in Clare Limerick and Tipperary with five of those beds at the community hospital in Tuamgraney .
However Local Fianna Fail TD Timmy Dooley believes the closures will have have an enormous impact on the lives of elderly people and their families in the east Clare area
Deputy Dooley says with five Government Oireachtas members in the county they need to act now to protect the county’s health services.
Meanwhile
The Psychiatric Nurses Association has held talks with Ministers Kathleen Lynch and Roisin Shortall to outline their concerns about impending cuts to services.
Due to the cut in agency staff and overtime the PNA says services across the country – including here in Clare are about to be hit.
It says that staff in Clare have been advised ass Community Nursing Services will cease from next Monday due to the HSE decision to discontinue agency and overtime as a means of staffing residential services.
+
