HSE puts off closing psychiatric unit

The HSE has decided to postpone the closure of an acute psychiatric unit, which was due to shut its doors on Mar 31 and stop admitting patients today.

A sustained campaign has been waged by psychiatrists, GPs, staff and local politicians against the planned closure of St Michael’s unit in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, since the HSE announced last year that acute inpatient beds were being transferred to Ennis and Kilkenny.

The scheduled Mar 31 shut-down date has been scrapped pending the development of alternative, community-based mental health facilities. Today’s deadline for admitting new patients has been deferred.

“When this change programme commenced, the target date in relation to the closure of St Michael’s Unit was March 2012,” the HSE said in a statement.

“However, it was always intended that there would be flexibility around this date to ensure all the necessary arrangements were in place.”

It confirmed that admissions to the unit, located on the grounds of South Tipperary General Hospital, “will not cease” today, but the date will be kept “under close review”, in consultation with the minister, the Department of Health and the Mental Health Commission “to ensure quality and safe outcomes at all times”.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Alan Moore, who retired from service at St Michael’s in October, said the decision to postpone the closure is “meaningless” as the HSE continues to “refuse all requests to look at or indeed cost the many alternatives to closure”.

These alternatives include maintaining “a far smaller admission suite” on the hospital campus, he said.

“The apparent delay in closure would be seen as nothing more than a cynical attempt to hide the actual date of closure so as to avoid further bad publicity,” Dr Moore said.

He accused HSE management of engaging in “high-handed behaviour” because of their “consistent refusal to listen to the unanimous condemnation of service users, family members and professional advice”.

Among the alternative facilities being developed in South Tipperary are an eight-bed “crisis house” in Clonmel; new day hospitals in Clonmel and Cashel; community mental healthcare teams; and home-based treatment teams.