Retirement of nurses hits psychiatric care

A LARGE number of nurse retirements is impacting severely on the care of psychiatric patients in Kerry, it has been claimed.

The retirements are also “hastening” the closure of St Finan’s Hospital in Killarney, even though sufficient alternative accommodation is not yet available for the hospital’s patients, according to the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA).

Some of the retirements are coming prior to changes in public service pension entitlements, effective from the end of February.

“By the end of February, we will have lost over 80 nursing posts in Kerry — that’s 27% of nurses in the past three years,” said Cormac Williams, of the PNA.

“Plans to reduce the €750,000 overtime bill is also a major factor.”

St Finan’s, which dates to 1849, is due to be closed in 2014.

Mr Williams said while plans had been prepared and submitted to the Department of Health for capital funding for alternative facilities at the site of the old Isolation Hospital in Killarney, funding had not been sanctioned.

“St Finan’s should indeed be closed as it has outlived its time, but to close St Finan’s without providing the alternative facilities is the worst possible outcome. Poor facilities are better than no, or inappropriate, facilities,” he said.

The HSE has plans to provide an intensive care unit for patients with disturbed behaviour, a continuing care unit for elderly residents with Alzheimer’s Disease and a community residence for patients with enduring mental illness.

The PNA has already locked horns with the Health Service Executive (HSE), which has firmly rejected PNA claims that elderly patients in the O’Connor unit, in the St Finan’s complex are being pressurised to move to private/ public nursing homes, or other facilities.

Mr Williams said it was planned to move some of the existing patients from the two remaining wards in St Finan’s proper to the vacant accommodation in the O’Connor unit, thereby hastening the closure of the main hospital building.

“We believe where any elderly patients have expressed a wish to remain in the O’Connor unit those wishes should be fully respected,” he said.

“Equally, where a patient has expressed a wish to move, their wishes should be accommodated.”