Elderly patients at risk, warns expert

A SENIOR medic at one of the country’s oldest psychiatric units says he does not want to see any more elderly patients die in such draconian conditions.

Clinical Director for the Limerick Mental Health Services, Dr Peter Kirwan, has expressed concern over the prolonged delay in transferring 38 elderly patients from a former workhouse building at St Joseph’s Hospital, Limerick, to more suitable conditions in a €2.5 million community residence.

Dr Kirwan, a consultant psychiatrist, said as clinical director, his main concern is that the elderly infirm patients in St Joseph’s obtain the best quality of care available.

The transfer of patients has been delayed by a Labour Relations Commission hearing and efforts by staff to get an improvement on the 4,000 transfer allowance on offer.

“I am confident there now exists a state-of-the-art nursing home, Villa Maria, where this can be achieved and which has been ready for occupation by patients for several months. Regrettably during that time a number of patients have died in an outdated unit in St Joseph’s which is patently inferior to the alternative in Villa Maria,” said Dr Kirwan.

“The patients in question are elderly and therefore coming to the end of their lives. From both a humane and professional point of view their continuous care should be provided in the new setting which allows the delivery of care in the optimum clinical environment.

“In this context there is no justification in delaying this transfer of patients before further distress or further demise ensues.”

The Mid-Western Health Board has been attempting to get nursing unions to agree to the move to Parteen for the past 18 months and has offered compensation of up to €4,000 per nurse to move but this has been rejected.

The terms offered are similar to those accepted by the nursing unions for the closure last year of Our Lady’s Psychiatric Hospital in Ennis.

Health Board Regional Manager for mental health, Tom Hourigan, called on SIPTU and the PNA to act responsibly and modify their compensation demands to a realistic level so that the 38 patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital can be relocated to Villa Maria without any further unjustifiable delays.

“It is now likely that a further meeting between the board and the unions to be facilitated by the Labour Relations Commission will not be possible until later this month,” he said.

“It is not fair on the patients concerned, their relatives and friends, that the opening of Villa Maria has been delayed by several months largely due to claims for monetary compensation by staff that are unreasonable and far in excess of the package agreed for the closure of Our Lady’s Hospital.”

Psychiatric Nurses Association general secretary, Des Kavanagh, said it had been hoped the outstanding issues might be resolved at this point.

But a planned Labour Relations Commission session was cancelled and has since been rescheduled.