HSE criticised over pool use
THE HSE in Sligo/Leitrim has little or no interest in seeing the hydrotherapy pool on the Cregg campus being made available for disabled persons in the region, Cllr Declan Bee claimed at a meeting of the Regional Health Forum West.
Cllr Bree pointed out that the hydrotherapy pool in Cregg closed in March 2020 during the covid pandemic.
He proposed a motion calling for an updated report on meetings between the HSE and Woodbrook Care, the management company representing the owners of the Cregg campus; the status of the business case for the project and when it is expected that a contact might be signed to have the hydrotherapy pool reopened.
“We are now practically in April 2024 and it remains closed. This is clearly unacceptable. There are disabled people, people with Multiple Sclerosis, with Cerebral Palsy, with Parkinson’s Disease, all needing and seeking the use of this hydrotherapy pool.
“At a meeting of the Health Forum in June last year in response to a question which I submitted we were told that the HSE’s Estate Manager had met with the owner of Cregg Campus on the week of May
29 th 2023 to look at the possibility of leasing the hydrotherapy pool on the campus.
“At our meeting in September in a response to a question I had submitted we are told that the HSE had a telecall on the
6 th of July with the Head of Operations of Woodbrook Care.
“We are told that on the 6 th of July Wood-Woodbrook Care again repeated the request seeking details of the number of people seeking to use the hydrotherapy pool at Cregg.
“That information, which was originally asked for on the 29 th of May, was eventually submitted by the HSE to Woodbrook Care on the 20 th of July- nearly two months later.
“At our meeting last month I asked for an update report including dates and times of meeting between the HSE and Woodbrook in the period 1st of August to date. I also sought the notes/minutes of the meetings and an indication as to when the pool would be made available for people using Disability Services in Sligo-Leitrim.
“However, the Forum was not provided with the dates and times of meetings between the HSE and Woodbrook, nor were we provided with the minutes/notes of the meetings.
“I had to again ask for the information to be made available at the meeting. “In response I recently received a letter from the HSE Disability Service which amazingly indicated there had been no meetings between the HSE and Woodbrook Care regarding the use of the Hydrotherapy pool.
“In the six month period from the 1st of August onwards, the HSE sent four emails to Woodbrook Care and four emails were received from Woodbrook Care. That is the total and full extent of the so called engagements between the HSE and the owners of Cregg.
“Does that strike anyone as being a serious level of engagement? It clearly confirms to me that the HSE in Sligo/Leitrim has little or no interest in seeing this hydrotherapy pool being made available for disabled persons in the region.
“I find this attitude totally unacceptable.It appears to me that no resources have been set aside to deliver on the business case for the use of the pool,”