Closed care unit labelled a ‘disgrace’

A “national disgrace” is how one local councillor has described the continued closure of the €10 million special care unit at Coovagh House since June of last year.
The unit, on the grounds of St Joseph’s Hospital, Limerick, caters for children aged from 10 to 17 from Clare, Tipperary and Limerick.
According to Councillor Paul O’Shea, teenagers have been sent abroad for treatment at a cost of €250,000 each, while the Limerick-based unit remains closed. This process has since ended.
He urged the local authority to seek clarification from the HSE on when the unit is to re-open and when referrals for Ennis children who require “urgent special care” can be made.
Councillor O’Shea said, “This special care unit was opened in 2003 in Limerick but it caters for Clare children. €10m was spent on it and at the time it was meant to be a state-of-the-art centre.”
He stated he had been informed the unit was closed for “refurbishment” and that it was to be closed for six to eight weeks.
“€250,000 each has been spent to send children abroad for care. This at a time when special needs assistants are being cut across the board. It’s in our interests to find out what is happening with the unit. It’s a national disgrace We need to find out what’s going to happen to our children,” he said.
Councillor O’Shea stated he had attempted to find out about the status of the unit from the HSE but that he was having difficulty.
He added he would now be bringing the matter to Oireachtas members.
It was agreed by Ennis Town Council the HSE would be written to, seeking clarification on the date of re-opening.