Tag Archives: Health Service Executive

AFTER an initial delay, an application for planning permission for the construction of a new €25 million community hospital in Ennis to replace long stay and short stay beds at St Joseph’s has been lodged with Clare County Council. The HSE had initially lodged a planning application for the development at the beginning of August. The Council, however, deemed the application ‘incomplete’ as the site notice had not been erected and dated within two weeks prior to lodgement. A new application has now been made for the development at lands at Clonroadmore, South-East of Turnpike Road and North-West of St Flannan’s College in Ennis. According to the plans the development will consist of: the construction of a part two-storey, part single-storey 100 bed residential community nursing unit (CNU) including; main entrance foyer block; production kitchens; offices; plant room; courtyard gardens with ancillary support accommodation and an enclosed gated delivery yard incorporating a maintenance building and generator. The development will also …

CLARE parents of children with Cystic Fibrosis have told of their fears for their childrens’ future if they cannot access a “miracle” drug at the centre of a dispute between the Health Service Executive and a pharmaceutical company. Cystic Fibrosis Ireland estimate that around 140 children aged six-years-old to 11-years-old are already are on the drug Kaftrio, but 35 children with a particular genotype are not as they are outside the 10-year Portfolio Agreement that was signed by the HSE and Vertex in 2017. Emma Fitzpatrick from Sixmilebridge is mother to eight-year-old James and says the drug would mean “everything” to their family, improving her son’s quality of life. She was “devastated” when she received a call from James’ consultant to say that he would not be getting the drug. “Literally you have your fingertips on this miracle – and it is a miracle to us. It is not a cure, but it’s the nearest we will ever get to …

OUTBREAKS of Covid-19 have been confirmed in a quarter of nursing homes in Clare, The Champion has learned. News of clusters in four out of the county’s 16 homes has prompted renewed calls for greater medical supervision of these facilities. There were a total of 13 nursing home clusters in the Midwest area covering Limerick, Clare and North Tippeary, according to figures from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) up to May 24. Data released by the Health Service Executive (HSE) now indicate that Clare accounts for just under one-third of these. Reacting to the figures, Deputy Michael McNamara, who is Chair of the Covid-19 Dáil Committee, has called on the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to provide it with details of the homes it identified, at the outset of the pandemic, as being at particular risk. At Tuesday’s committee hearing, Mary Dunnion of HIQA said a list had been sent to the HSE in February or March. “These, …

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has confirmed it will challenge efforts by the independent health watchdog HIQA to impose restrictions on new admissions to St Joseph’s Geriatric Hospital in Ennis. HIQA is on a collision course with the HSE over regulatory issues at the hospital, which provides vital public step-down facilities to elderly people. The Clare Champion has learned that admissions will continue at St Joseph’s, pending the outcome of a court appeal being prepared by the HSE. A SIPTU spokesman told The Clare Champion that its members have been providing the best quality care to patients in St Joseph’s. The spokesman explained the regulatory issues do not cover patient care but moreso difficulties in relation to the physical infrastructure, which HIQA have been highlighting for some time. Over the last three years, he said there have been plans to carry out remedial works at St Joseph’s, as well as an overall plan to construct a new facility on the …

Shannon Airport has today (Tuesday) conducted a crash-exercise to validate the combined response of the airport together with the support of the primary emergency agencies and other key stakeholders that would react to any aviation incident at the airport. Participating agencies include Shannon airport, Clare County Council, An Garda Síochána, Health Service Executive, National Ambulance Service and Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). Students from NUIG’s College of Hotel Management took on the varied roles of passengers, relatives and press. Commenting on the crash-exercise, Niall Maloney, airport operations director, said: “Crash-exercises are conducted every two years at Shannon Airport as a condition of its aerodrome licence and we use the opportunity then in conjunction with the other emergency services to test the regional major emergency plan and site specific arrangements for the airport. “The safety of our customer airlines, passengers and staff is paramount to us and today’s exercise allows us to test our readiness for a real life situation should it …