Review of nursing hours at St Francis’ ongoing

MINISTER of State at the Department of Health Jim Daly said he will ensure the HSE speeds up a review of nursing hours at St Francis’ Special School in Beaufort that is currently underway.

The Minister’s remarks come after parents at the school criticised cuts to nursing hours that have left the school with a general nursing service on only three days a week – Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Some profoundly disabled children who require daily nursing care in the event of likely emergency medical assistance cannot attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the absence of nursing provision.

Minister Daly informed the Dáil the cuts to nursing hours at St Francis’s were in response to a HSE review over a year ago. “I am advised by the HSE that the specific need within the school was recognised on foot of an assessment of need, which took place some 18 months ago. The assessment was undertaken by the public health nursing service on which the existing resource provision of three days nursing has been based,” he said.

However, a more recent review identified the need for a five-day service: “A more recent assessment by the public health nursing service has indicated increased complexity of care needs for the children attending the school. The initial recommendation was to increase the service from three to five days per week. The HSE has informed me that a review of this assessment is under way to examine the additional level of resources that may be required to address these complex needs and to set out what the overall requirement will be.”

Deputy Michael Healy Rae was among those to raise the issue in the Dáil, with Minister Daly ultimately giving an assurance that he would ‘ensure’ the review would be fasttracked. “I will ensure the HSE speeds up its assessment of the increased need and try to get this up and running for the children in that school. It is the least they deserve.”