Day Care Centre Services at ‘ The Rock’ close and transfer.

The Day Centre services at ‘ The Rock’ in Ballymote have closed.

As of the 16th of September the day care services provided at the centre have ceased and are now being provided at alternative care facilities.

This news comes months after the HSE confirmed that services at the centre would be moved.

Historically the Sligo Leitrim Mental Health ( SLMHS) services provided a day care centre model of care which offered day care service and meals to people with mental health issues.

A statement issued by the HSE regarding the closure of the Mental Health Day Centre services said that the reason for this change is to integrate mental health day centres users with generic day centres users and reduce any stigmatisation that may be associated with people who have a mental health issue attending a mental health day centre.

It will also help to ensure that mental health services are promoted and more readily accessible.

The HSE plan to have services available to those availing of the original service 7 days a week in facilities in Ballymote, Tubbercurry and Collooney and transport arrangements will be made.

With an issue already surrounding the access to Mental Health Services in Ireland, this news comes as a blow to the community of Ballymote and those using the service.

A member of the Ballymote community who wishes not to be named said that people who have used the service have been very upset about the recent news and that the closure of the day care centre is such a loss to them.

Tomas Murphy, Area Director of Nursing at the SLMHS said: “Our aim is to now deliver 7 day community mental health services which are accessible to all members of the community and will continue to be based in the Rock. Our aim is to move away from labelling people as ‘ mental health service users’.

“Such an approach is part of the national strategic plans for mental health, suicide reduction and health promotion and in turn should go a long way in helping to reduce the suicide and parasuicidal behaviours and rates which are growing within our society. “

Mental Health services which are accessible to all members of the community will continue to be based in the Rock.