Home News Concern grows as respite care beds face closure

Concern grows as respite care beds face closure

Tuesday, 30 June 2009

CARERS and relatives of elderly people in South Dublin have expressed concern and anger at plans by the HSE to close a unit at a public hospital where their loved ones currently receive respite care. In April of last year, Southside People reported that the HSE was planning to close the majority of respite care beds at Cherry Orchard Hospital. Massive public pressure and a number of protests against the move eventually forced the executive to reverse the decision and they kept the beds open. However, relatives of the elderly people have now been informed by hospital management that they would be “temporarily” closing the Beech unit at the facility, which contains all the roll-over respite beds. These beds are for patients who are cared for overnight in the hospital two or three days a week and then return home. Hospital management has been unable to give patients and their relatives any indication when the unit will reopen. It is understood that the hospital is currently unable to keep the unit open because of staff shortages due to a HSE embargo on recruitment. Philomena Butler (76), from Ballyfermot who was told in April last year by the HSE that her bed in Cherry Orchard Hospital would no longer be available is again faced with the same predicament. Philomena’s son Anthony takes care of her in the family home on Decies Road four days a week and she is cared for at Cherry Orchard for the other three days. Mr Butler (49), who himself is in receipt of disability benefit, said he again fears for both his mother’s mental and physical state because of the imminent loss of the respite bed. He said his mother, who is wheelchair bound, has required full time care since she acquired the MRSA superbug at another Dublin hospital some years ago. “My mother doesn't want to go into a private nursing home, as she is used to Cherry Orchard Hospital. It is like a home away from home for her at this stage.” Cllr Bríd Smith of People Before Profit said the embargo on recruitment was “seriously hurting” patients receiving respite care and their families. She called on the HSE to reverse the decision. “The idea of pumping the money into private nursing homes is objectionable when public money could be used to employ nurses and give the patients the ongoing care they deserve in the surroundings they are accustomed to,” she said. “We call on the HSE to once again change their policy in relation to respite care and to keep the Beech unit open.” A spokeswoman for the HSE said: “Each summer HSE community services have difficulties in maintaining residential services particularly during the peak holiday season when many staff are on leave. This can be exacerbated where a service has a number of maternity leaves among staff at the same time. “The Dublin West Local Health Office is currently taking steps to ensure that all commitments to patients and their families are met during the coming months. In particular, measures are being taken to ensure that all commitments for respite care are met so as to ensure that no patient or their family is inconvenienced.”