Fears beds for elderly to close

Fears have been expressed in West Cork that the HSE and the health minister may not upgrade community hospitals in the region, leading to elderly patients being transferred miles away from their families.

Cork County Council plans to express concerns to Health Minister Leo Varadkar and the HSE that St Joseph’s Ward in Bantry General Hospital and Castletownbere Community Hospital may be closed as they do not meet watchdog Hiqa’s standards.

Councillor Declan Hurley (Ind) said Hiqa had given a July deadline to upgrade the facilities. “They are among around 80 places facing closure around country if they are not brought up to standard. The public are entitled to know what the HSE is planning to do, especially as we have an increasing elderly population.”

He said the ERSI had predicted nursing home bed numbers would have to rise by 59% by 2021 to keep pace.

Cllr Pat Murphy (FF) said: “If Castletownbere was to close, people there would have to move to another facility 50 miles away. That’s not fair to them or their relatives.”

He said HSE failure to tackle the matter was “a hidden time bomb”. While some of Hiqa’s guidelines were good, he was concerned at the stipulation that each patient have a private room.

Cllr Mary Hegarty said she didn’t agree with Hiqa’s one-room proposal, and Rachel McCarthy (SF) said funding had to be allocated to improve facilities.

”The level of care in community hospitals is second to none,” she said, receiving unanimous support when she said the council should write to the HSE and Mr Varadkar to seek assurances hospitals would not close.