The Save our Acute Hospital Services Committee has expressed disappointment at the outcome of its High Court challenge to the closure by the HSE of the acute inpatient psychiatric service for South Tipperary.
The consequences of this decision will mean the loss of a vital health service to the County and patients will be forced to travel to Kilkenny to avail of a service which should be provided locally in accordance with the Vision for Change Policy.
It is the Committee’s view that the closure and transfer of acute inpatient psychiatric services to Kilkenny is wrong and unsafe and that the Kilkenny unit will be unable to accommodate the South Tipperary Service. On Monday of this week for instance, the 44 bed Kilkenny unit would have had to accommodate its own 32 patients plus the 27 patients at St. Michaels Unit in Clonmel.
The Committee will consider the legal position further when the written judgement becomes available.
The attempt to protect the services by legal action was taken with reluctance by the committee against the background of intransigence of the Health Service Executive and the failure of the Government parties, Fine Gael and Labour, to honour commitments given prior to the last general election, to retain the existing acute services at South Tipperary General Hospital.
The committee will be demanding that the Community based service will be fully resourced and provided as promised by the Health Service Executive.
This includes the provision of a purpose built Crisis house and community based teams led by Consultant Psychiatrists and fully staffed by Psychiatric Nurses, Psychologists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Junior Doctors.
The Committee would like to thank our legal team and particularly the people of South Tipperary for their support and wish to assure them that we will continue to act as a Watchdog for the protection and development of the Health Services in South Tipperary.
01 May 2012
Voters are reminded that they have until Monday, 14 May 2012 to register to vote ahead on the Fiscal Compact Treaty Referendum on 31 May 2012.
To be included on the Postal/Special Voters list you will have until this Wednesday, 02 May 2012 to register.
Please click the link below to see if you are already registered
The Workers and Unemployed Action Group are advocating a “No” vote.
Click for more information: Healy calls for a “No” Vote.
The Bealtaine Festival is Ireland’s largest collaborative Arts festival. It celebrates creativity as we age during the month of May every year.
In association with Age & Opportunity, Tipperary Bealtaine festival presents a month long programme inviting people aged 50+ to engage with arts and cultural activity and offers opportunities to reignite the flame of creativity and unlock hidden talents through theatre, the visual arts, music and literature.
The Arts Services of South and North Tipperary County Council together with Tipperary Libraries have once again co-ordinated the Tipperary Bealtaine Festival, celebrating creativity as we age.
The launch of the 2012 Tipperary Bealtaine Festival takes place on Tuesday 1st May at 2.30pm in The Source Arts Centre, Thurles. This is a free event and will feature performances by Internationally renowned storyteller Niall de Burca and close harmony vocal trio Swingabella, followed by refreshments. Admission is free and bookings are currently being taken by the Box Office at The Source Arts Centre, telephone: 0504 – 90204 to reserve your seat! Active Retirement Groups and Care Centres should advise of numbers attending.
Niall de Burca will also be performing at South Tipperary County Museum, Clonmel on 2nd May at 7pm – Admission is free but places are limited so booking is essential. Contact 052 6134565 / 052 6134552 to book. Niall de Burca is one of Ireland’s finest traditional storytellers performing Nationally in theatre’s, on radio and at many festivals including Féile Earrai, the CS Lewis Festival and the National Children’s Book Festival.
The Bealtaine Festival is described by Age and Opportunity as an invitation ‘to try something new, to explore something creative this Bealtaine in recognition of the life enhancing joys of constant learning and our capacity for creativity at all stages of our lives.’ The theme for this year’s festival “What kind of old do you want to be” recognises that, as older people, we are not one homogenous group; we are individuals with widely different talents, interests and needs.
In the spirit of this we are encouraging people to experience new art forms, and to try something new this May. Events range from dance workshops to ceramics and from film to visual arts and we hope that by the end of the festival you might have had a chance to discover new skills and talents in the arts.
For further information, please contact:
South Tipperary Arts Office, 052 34565, email sally.oleary@southtippcoco.ie or www.southtipparts.ie
North Tipperary Arts Office, 067-44860 artsoffice@northtippcoco.ie or www.tipperarynorth.ie/arts ;
Emer O’Brien, Library Headquarters, 0504 21555, email eobrien@tipperarylibraries.ie or www.tipperarylibraries.ie
Workers & Unemployed Action 