EFFORTS ARE being stepped up to halt the planned closure of a 19-bed ward in a Waterford city geriatric hospital which the HSE says is needed for health and safety reasons.
The Friends of St Patrick’s Hospital charity says the closure of the ward “cannot be allowed happen” and that it will fight the proposal all the way.
The planned closure of St Brigid’s ward in the city hospital was outlined in the HSE South’s service plan for 2009 which was published last week.
There is considerable anger in Waterford. The Friends of St Patrick’s Hospital is concerned that the gradual demise of the 120- bed hospital facility is planned.
Eamon Griffin from the charity said: “This is a geriatric hospital, not a nursing home, and in the last 12 months, 617 people have gone through it for all sorts of treatment including those in need of respite and those that are terminally ill. All are given the best of attention at St Patrick’s.
“We’re saying that if these 19 beds go, we fear that it will begin the demise of St Patrick’s Hospital. We had a meeting in the city about this on Monday night and what we said was that if there’s a health and safety issue with this ward, the Friends are willing to come up with the money to meet the cost and save those beds.”
“As a matter of fact,” Mr Griffin added, “we have already spent in the region of €400,000 on the hospital and, in St Brigid’s ward alone, we’ve spent in excess of €100,000 in the past two years.”
The HSE says that because the ward is on an upper floor of the hospital means it is unsuitable for continued use, given that St Patrick’s caters for older people. It plans to close the ward in July.
The HSE’s local health manager for the Waterford area, Dermot Halpin, said plans were being advanced for a permanent replacement for St Brigid’s ward under a national process for Design and Build Community Nursing Units.
He insisted that there was no question of St Patrick’s Hospital being closed and was adamant that no patient would be moved out of the hospital as a result of the closure of the ward.
The Friends of St Patrick’s Hospital, however, is not convinced and has organised a meeting on Friday with councillors who are members of the Regional Health Forum (South) to lobby them.
Mr Griffin said: “At our public meeting on Monday night last, there was not one dissenting voice regarding our stance and there were several politicians present.
“We will probably have another public meeting again next week because we just can’t let what’s planned happen.”