CONCERNS about the knock-on implications for the availability of elderly care beds in Clare following news that Unit 3 at St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis will be reduced to a 16-bed unit from January next have been voiced by Deputy Pat Breen.

Dr Fergal Flynn, local health manager confirmed, in response to a parliamentary question, that Unit 3, currently undergoing a major refurbishment and programme of works, will now become a 16-bed unit.
Deputy Breen pointed out that there were 214 elderly care beds at St Joseph’s Hospital a number of years ago, there are now 177 beds and by January next, that would be reduced further to 165 beds.
“This is a very worrying trend, particularly, as the Fair Deal Nursing Home Scheme has come into being, which will place a greater demand for elderly care beds in this county. It is unacceptable that further pressure will be placed on our elderly people, who are the most vulnerable in our society,” he said.
“St Joseph’s Hospital in Ennis is one of the biggest hospitals in this county and there is huge demand for beds at the hospital because of its excellent reputation in the care of the elderly, which is provided by their dedicated staff. A lot of Clare people are now questioning which way the HSE is going and how they are going to be able to deliver on the demand for public elderly care beds.
“The reconfiguration of psychiatric services in this county is compounding the problem. I have been advised by the HSE that 12 patients will transfer from the Cappahard Lodge to this unit and my understanding is that Unit 5 will now transfer to the Mental Health Services. What I understand is happening is that Unit 3 and Unit 5 are being amalgamated, which may require the redeployment of some nurses.
“It is now time for the HSE to clarify, exactly, what their plans are for St Joseph’s Hospital, if they plan any further reduction in beds at the hospital and if so, how are they going to meet the demand for beds under the Fair Deal Scheme and are they any implications for the staff working there,” Deputy Breen pointed out.
Dr Flynn has confirmed that the Clare Mental Health Services for Older People is currently based on the Cappahard Lodge site and it was proposed that this specialised service would be relocated to the refurbished Unit 5 on the St Joseph’s Hospital campus.
“This will involve the transfer of 12 patients with complex dementia to a more appropriately sized unit to address their specialised needs. It will also promote a greater integration of this service with those of mainstream older people services and will improve the quality of care that we can deliver to this complex group of patients.
“This will leave 16 patients in Cappahard Lodge and it is anticipated that three of these may be suitable for alternative community-based accommodation,” he outlined.
Dr Flynn said the relocation of psychiatry of older age services from Cappahard Lodge will allow for the use of Cappahard in its entirety for rehabilitation psychiatry services and the beds vacated by the relocation of the complex dementia patients will facilitate the transfer of residents from the Gort Glas Rehabilitation Unit.
Additionally, this will release a number of nursing staff and go some of the way to addressing the safety issues that are arising from decreasing available nursing staff.
“This move will also allow for the development of out-patient and community-based psychiatry of old age services on the St Joseph’s Hospital campus in the vacated Gort Glas unit. This will also serve to further the integration of services across care groups and between the hospitals and community,” Dr Flynn said.
The local health manager also revealed that the clinical assessments of all the residents presently in the Orchard Lodge, Kilrush have concluded that 11 of these residents with their changing needs would be more appropriately cared for in an older persons’ setting.
“The proposal, therefore, is to refer these residents to the older persons’ placement panel for consideration of the most appropriate care setting for each individual. The remaining five residents, who at this point require ongoing mental health care, will be accommodated in appropriate rehabilitation facilities. The mental health nursing staff released as a result of these relocations will further assist in addressing the ongoing safety and staffing levels that we face,” Dr Flynn outlined.
He said that while it was proposed to discontinue the residential aspect of the Orchard Lodge facility, there were no plans at present to alter the other services provided at Orchard Lodge. These include the day service and the West Clare catering service.