South Tipperary General Hospital
Statement by Seamus Healy TD 087-2802199 Chairperson Save Our Acute Hospital Services Committee
The decision by the Minister for Health to approve the commencement of the procurement process for additional beds at South Tipperary General Hospital is another success for the Save Our Acute Hospital Services Committee.
The Committee, embracing all stakeholders, has been pursuing this project for some time. It is a decision which was expected and one that is very welcome.
As chairperson of the Committee, I want to thank all those who worked together on this issue, including the general public, hospital patients and their families, hospital staff and their representatives, the media, especially the Nationalist newspaper and Tipp FM radio, hospital management and local and national Public Representatives
These hotel type beds are, of course, only an interim and partial solution to the continuing crisis at the hospital. The delivery of these beds and the crucial future development of permanent beds, new wards and upgraded facilities will require a continued united effort to deliver for the people of the County.
The Hospital Committee policy over the last 8 years of inclusivity and united effort of the public, patients, staff, hospital management the media and people of all political persuasions and none has been particularly successful.
I want to appeal to all concerned to put aside any personal or political differences and to continue to work together for the future of hospital services in County Tipperary.
The early delivery of the additional beds will require a hugely concentrated effort and commitment and the dovetailing of a number of processes including procurement, planning, building, fitting-out and staffing. It is vital that this be done with the greatest possible haste.
Other measures are also necessary to address the overcrowding crisis at the hospital.
These include:
· Full time Community Intervention Teams
· Additional Home Care Packages
· Reversal of the cuts to Home Help hours
· Additional Step-down Beds
The Save our Acute Hospital Services Committee sees the commencement of the promised Phase 2 development at the hospital as both urgent and vitally important. It has raised this issue on an ongoing basis with HSE officials and previous Ministers for Health including Minister Varadkar.
Minister Harris must now instruct the HSE to complete a Development Control Plan for the Hospital and commit Capital Funds to the hospital in Budget 2017.
The Development Control Plan should detail Phase 2 developments at the hospital, including new medical, maternity, paediatric and acute psychiatry inpatient wards, together with support facilities and services.
The closure of St Michael’s Unit and the transfer of acute in-patient psychiatric beds to Kilkenny and Ennis has been nothing short of disastrous and these beds must be returned to South Tipp General Hospital in the short term.
The Committee will be raising these issues directly with the minister on his visit to the hospital on the 1st of October next
Seamus Healy TD
Chairperson of the Save our Acute Hospital Services Committee 087-2802199
Deputy Seamus Healy
Deputy Seamus Healy, Chair of the Save Our Acute Hospital Services Committee, has warned the Health Service Executive and the Minister for Health to keep their hands off the services at South Tipperary General Hospital.
Deputy Healy was responding to media reports suggesting that the emergency department at the Hospital was being earmarked for closure.
As in the past, “people power” will defeat any attempt to downgrade services at South Tipperary General Hospital.
Saturday 27 th March, 2010 was a red letter day for hospital services in South Tipperary. That was the day the people of South Tipperary stood, 15,000 strong, on the streets of Clonmel and defeated the last attempt to downgrade and transfer our hospital services.
I have no doubt the people of Tipperary will do the same again if needed.
The closure of the emergency department at South Tipperary General Hospital would be dangerous and irresponsible and would indeed put lives at risk with seriously ill patients bypassing the hospital going to already overcrowded services at Cork and Waterford.
Far from downgrading and closure, South Tipperary General Hospital needs to be supported with additional resources, funding and staff. The hospital is “bursting at its seams” working at 120% capacity every hour of every day.
The newly appointed Minister for Health, Mr. Simon Harris T.D., at my request, will be visiting the hospital shortly to see both the excellent work being done at the hospital and the difficulties being experienced by patients and staff due to under resourcing and shortage of beds.
Indeed we are currently in discussion with the Minister with a view to getting approval for a quick build 40 bed capacity modular/hotel type unit for the hospital for the coming winter.
I will be raising the issue of the future of the emergency department at South Tipperary General Hospital in the Dáil with the Minister this week.
Seamus Healy TD
12/07/2016
087 2802199
Healy Demands immediate opening of Existing vacant 40 bed Hospital Unit at Our Lady’s Hospital, Cashel.
Deputy Seamus Healy has again raised the scandal of a closed 40 bed unit at Our Lady’s Hospital Cashel while at the same time South Tipperary General Hospital is bursting at the seams.
Deputy Healy has raised the issue of overcrowding at South Tipperary General Hospital twice in the Dáil at the election of Taoiseach and is again raising this issue ahead of a debate on health in the Dáil tomorrow where he will again be calling for urgent action.
It is long since passed the time when the trolley crisis at the hospital must be tackled.
On the 10th March, the first day of the vote on the election of Taoiseach, there were 44 patients on trolleys at South Tipperary General Hospital, the highest number in the country. On the second day of the vote for Taoiseach there were 38 patients on trolleys and the numbers have been consistently high since well before Christmas.
It’s not as if there isn’t a solution to the problem. There is a very obvious solution.
There is an existing 40 bed hospital unit, moth balled, closed and lying idle at Our Lady’s Hospital, Cashel.
Deputy Healy is demanding that this unit be opened immediately to relieve the crisis at South Tipperary General Hospital.
It is not good enough that patients must lie for days on trolleys at South Tipperary General Hospital while the Health Service Executive does nothing.
Patients have no privacy and little or no access to wash and bathroom facilities.
The Emergency Department crisis is now affecting the whole hospital. The occupancy of the 79 medical beds is now running at 150% and general surgery and gynaecology procedures are being cancelled.
The whole hospital is now running at way above capacity, in the region of 130%, putting huge pressure on patients and staff and raising the issue of safety.
It is time to solve this situation once and for all and the solution is available and obvious – the opening of the Cashel Unit.
I will again be raising this issue in the Dáil tomorrow.
Seamus Healy T.D.19/4/2016
Tel 087 2802199
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