Ward closures likely as SHB goes €5m over budget

FACED with an estimated €5m budget over-run at the end of the year, fears were expressed at a Southern Health Board meeting, yesterday, of further ward closures in hospitals and cuts in services in Cork and Kerry.

Thirty beds are due to close in Tralee General Hospital for three months of the summer and board chief executive Sean Hurley said the board’s overall situation would be reviewed in June.

He said the Tralee beds were the only ones being closed, but they would see if any further action was required when they looked at the service plan for the board’s area, next month.

The board has exceeded its €937m annual budget by €1.23m for the first three months of the year and Mr Hurley stressed there would be no extra money from the Department of Health.

Main over-runs are in the drugs payment scheme, €1.39m, and superannuation, €526,000, but the board is under-budget in other areas to the tune of €405,000, leaving a net over-run of €1.23m.

Kerry board members complained strongly about the bed closures in Tralee, claiming the Tralee hospital was, according to Jackie Healy-Rae, “getting the bad end of the wedge” and “the hammer” for other hospitals.

Bobby O’Connell said the budget for the Tralee hospital was inadequate while Paul O’Donoghue called for a full review of funding.

“If additional funding is required for Tralee, it’s because it is needed there,” Mr O’Donoghue argued insisting “we have under-estimated the funding needs”.

Mr Sean Hurley said he was more concerned about the situation in Tralee General Hospital than other hospitals in the region.

Tralee had gone 7% over its agreed service plan for the year and the number of employees was 33 above the approved number.

Yesterday, up to 100 people protested outside the board’s meeting in Tralee over the lack of funding for people with special needs.

The campaign group, known as Wake Up Call for Special Needs, is active in Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Dublin.

It called on the Special Olympics Committee to withdraw any invitations to Government representatives to the opening and closing celebrations.

An SHB spokesperson said its funding was being used to maintain existing services and it had not been allocated any money for new services for people with special needs.