Group to lobby Taoiseach over psychiatric unit

OPPONENTS of the closure of a 55-bed acute psychiatric unit hope to lobby Taoiseach Enda Kenny when he visits the constituency next week.

Members of the Save Our Hospital Services committee in Clonmel said at a meeting on Monday that “no stone will be left unturned” in their campaign to retain all acute services at South Tipperary General Hospital.

“Everything that needs to be done will be done, including political pressure, people power and legal avenues,” the group said.

The message of defiance followed a meeting last week between local Oireachtas members and the Minister of State for mental health services Kathleen Lynch, at which Ms Lynch said she supported the HSE’s decision to close the acute in-patient St Michael’s Unit in Clonmel in favour of community-based services and the transfer of in-patient beds to Kilkenny and Ennis.

“Positive suggestions were dismissed,” said committee chairperson Séamus Healy, an independent TD. “Minister Lynch made no effort to engage with the deputation or to address the reasonable concerns raised and only reluctantly agreed to meet service users and carers.”

Mr Healy, who is also a member of the United Left Alliance, said the decision to close St Michael’s Unit and transfer the beds to St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny was “a serious breach of faith” with the electorate of south Tipperary.

The Labour Party and its partners in Government, Fine Gael, made “specific commitments” to retain acute hospital services at South Tipperary General Hospital during the election campaign in February, according to Mr Healy.

“The leader of Fine Gael and current Taoiseach, and the leader of the Labour Party and current Tánaiste, also gave similar commitments to the committee and Oireachtas Members at meetings in Leinster House prior to the General Election,” said Mr Healy.

“Current minister for health, Dr James Reilly, visited the hospital prior to the election and gave similar commitments. He has also stated, since becoming minister, that no service would close or be transferred pending a review which he would carry out.”

Mr Healy called for such commitments to be honoured and, as a first step, the Save Our Hospital Services Committee wants local Oireachtas members to arrange meetings with Mr Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, along with the minister for health.

Mr Kenny is due to visit Clonmel next Wednesday and the committee hope members to meet him.

According to Mr Healy, the closure of St Michael’s unit “flies in the face of the ‘Vision for Change’ policy” dealing with mental health, and is opposed “by all stake-holders including service-users and carers; consultant psychiatrists in both Clonmel and Kilkenny; nurses; household and portering staff and the general public”.