ASSURANCE SOUGHT FROM HSE THAT FERMOY BEDS WILL REOPEN
THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has been urged to reverse its decision to temporarily close a ward at St Patrick’s Community Hospital in Fermoy amid local concerns that the move may turn out to be a long-term measure.
The HSE has confirmed in a statement that a number of beds at the hospital are to temporarily close due to staff shortages.
“Following a number of unexpected staff absences and early retirements, Fermoy Community Hospital currently does not have sufficient nursing staff to safely maintain the full range of services. Therefore a number of beds will be closed on a temporary basis” read the statement.
The HSE said they had advertised for nurses to fill vacant positions and were hopeful of recruiting the necessary staff “over the coming weeks.”
“The temporary reduction in bed numbers will affect beds used for short stay services and will be at worst until the end of August. Planned short term residents will be accommodated in other facilities where necessary,” read the statement.
“Every effort is being made to ensure that this reduction in beds is very temporary and the situation will be reviewed on a weekly basis,” it concluded.
However, the move has angered local public representatives, among them Fianna Fail’s Deirdre O’Brien who called for a suspension of standing orders at last Monday’s Cork County Council meeting to discuss the issue.
Speaking to the Corkman Cllr O’Brien said she feared this could just be the “thin edge of the wedge” amid fears within the local community that the beds could be lost permanently.
Cllr O’Brien said she was highly sceptical of the HSE’s claims that beds were being closed due to staff shortages.
“Holidays are unusually approved early in the year and retirees work out their notice. Surely there is a database on file of applicants that could fill vacant roles. A business doesn’t just close down when they have staff shortages. They would have an emergency plan in place and I would consider this an emergency,” said Cllr O’Brien.
She said the bed closures would place “undue stress” on carers who depend on the hospital for short-term respite in addition to placing more stain on the resources of other hospitals and potentially putting lives at risk.
“There are patients in our hospitals taking up beds who could be discharged if more convalescence beds were available. Yet here we have the HSE closing further beds, in turn jeopardising the lives of sick people who are waiting to be admitted for treatment or surgery,” said Cllr O’Brien.
Her call seeking further assurances from the HSE that the beds would be reopened was given broad support by Cllr O’Brien’s council colleagues.
“The new Health Minister Simon Harris seems to have embarked on a policy of closing beds when, with an aging population, we actually need more beds,” said Cllr O’Brien.
“I do not want to see badly needed beds in Fermoy lost due to the actions of a Minister who, if he had more experience, might have more empathy towards older people.”