Psychiatric bed closures need review

Health Minister James Reilly has been requested to review funding and overall staffing for the Clare Mental Health Services following the threatened closure of 19 beds at the acute psychiatric unit at Ennis Hospital.
Clare Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) ­representative, Denis ­Meehan, said the nursing union was shocked to learn about planned bed closures in the acute psychiatric unit as part of cost-cutting measures.
Mr Meehan stated 13 of the 36 beds at the Ennis Unit are already being filled by patients from North Tipperary following the closure of a mental health facility in Clonmel and wonders where will Clare patients with acute psychiatric problems be treated once the 19 beds are removed.
IMPACT claimed mental health services would be badly hit with the removal of 19 beds in Ennis and with 26 beds closing in Limerick at St Joseph’s Hospital. It warned community mental health services would also be affected, with the closure of some high support hostels and a reduction in day services.
Mr Meehan confirmed union representatives are already in discussion with local HSE management about proposed cuts in high-support hostels to cope with retirements and the loss of staff under the Government’s Pension Deal.
He claimed decisions on cuts are being made in Dublin by HSE officials as union representatives were given no prior warning about the loss of 19 beds in Ennis.
Under the plan, up to five beds would go at the high-support HSE facility at Dalganish, Shannon, with an equivalent whole time equivalent (WTE) reduction from five to just one.
It is also proposed that nursing care could be removed at Teach na Beatha, Gort Road, Ennis, which the PNA claims is unsafe.
Acknowledging that a new 50-bed acute psychiatric unit was proposed under a recent national Mental Health Strategy, Vision for Change, Mr Meehan warned this was only feasible if alternative facilities were provided at community level.
However, he claimed Clare patients would find it much harder to get treatment if beds are lost in the acute unit as well as a variety of community facilities.
There is also uncertainty surrounding the future of the High Support Hostel in Gort Glas.
“There is no spare capacity in the Mid-West to cope with any overflow from the acute unit or to cope with cutbacks in community services as bed numbers have been dramatically reduced in Limerick on a temporary basis because of refurbishment work.
“If Clare patients are forced to go to Limerick, families and relatives will face the same travel and distance problems as people from North Tipperary who have to travel to Ennis to visit family members in the acute u nit.
“Decisions seem to be made at a higher level, which local management are not aware of. Morale is very low amongst staff because we don’t know what is the bottom line.
“How many more staff are going to be let go and how much more services will be lost?
“The national recruitment ban has to be lifted. The number of psychiatric nurses in Clare has fallen by about 50 from 207 to 160 since 2009, a drop of about 25%,” he said.