Deputy Michael Lowry has expressed his frustration at Minister Reilly’s failure to meet his promises with regards to the Community Hospital of the Assumption, Thurles. The Independent Deputy for North Tipperary and South Offaly has also slammed the Government for slashing the bed numbers in Community Nursing Units in North Tipperary. Deputy Lowry has stated that recently published HSE Mid-West Service Plan for 2012 spells bad news, not alone for the Community Hospital of the Assumption, Thurles but also for Community Nursing Units throughout the North Tipperary area in particular the Dean Maxwell Unit in Roscrea. Deputy Lowry stated the North Tipperary area is in crisis due to repeated attacks and bed closures by the Government.

Deputy Lowry stated that

“Since this Government has come to power there have been substantial bed closures in community nursing units in both the Community Hospital of the Assumption in Thurles, St. Conlon’s home in Nenagh and now the Dean Maxwell Unit in Roscrea faces bed losses. In Thurles we have suffered the loss of 22 vital respite beds while St. Conlon’s in Nenagh was hit by the closure of 5 beds.”

“Following on from a huge backlash and very successful campaign by the people of Tipperary Minister James Reilly gave a firm promise that he would reconfigure services in the Mid-West Region and would re-open the beds in the Community Hospital at the end of January 2012. It was expected that when the Service Plan for 2012 was published that the Community Hospital promise would be enacted and that the beds would be restored as promised. However the Community Hospital is ominously absent from this Plan and in fact North Tipperary has again targeted for bed losses.”

“We are now in a situation whereby the end of February is almost upon us and the Minister’s promise has yet to become a reality. I am gravely concerned that the Minister will renege on his promise to the people of Thurles and that the Community Hospital may in fact face further cuts. The public are being placated with reports that this issue is still under review and that various reports are being done up to determine the viability of returning these beds to Thurles yet Bernard Gloster the Area Manager for the HSE Mid-west region has said that he is unaware of any such reviews.”

“The reality is that Minister Reilly gave assurances to a delegation from the Community Hospital with full knowledge of the budgetary constraints that he was facing in 2012, he is now backtracking on this promises and looking for an escape by stating that the issue must be reviewed given the finances of his department.”

“In fact instead of returning our beds as promised North Tipperary has again been hit. The Service Plan for 2012 states that the Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit in Roscrea will lose 7 of its beds as part of the on-going service reductions. This is an appalling decision and a further attack on this region. North Tipperary has been disproportionally hit but bed losses under Minister Reilly. Why is Tipperary North so badly hit and so disproportionally affected when other regions such as Limerick and Clare have had minimal closures? Our government Deputies are simply not doing enough to fight for and retain our hospital services. This is a government that ran under a banner of maintaining frontline services and the protection of the heathcare system yet we now see what can only be described as another broken promise and a shambolic closure of beds to the detriment of the elderly. Deputies Coonan and Kelly have assured the public that services will be retained in Tipperary and that they are working diligently on this issue. If this is the case why are losing 7 other beds and not regaining the beds that were promised to us?”

“The very real result of this is that elderly people and those that care for them on a daily basis are suffering. With the loss of the beds in Thurles, Nenagh and Roscrea we will have lost over 30 respite beds since this Government has come to power. Respite care provides a vital reprieve for those who are unwell but also provides carers with a chance to recharge their batteries and to sleep easy knowing their loved ones are in safe hands.”

“I must also express my concerns over the crises of staffing that is currently on-going in Nenagh General Hospital. The staff and management there are performing near miracles in keeping services open there despite a gross shortage in staff. They are doing a stellar job in maintaining as many services as possible in a hospital that is at crises level with regards to a shortage of staff. 17 nurses have left the Nenagh Hospital in the last number of months. Despite the valiant efforts of remaining staff they have already been forced to merge 3 units into 2. The hospital has now seeking permission for the sanctioning of ten further nurses to allow them to continue to provide their vital services.  I will be petitioning Minister Reilly to ensure that these staff are allocated as a matter of urgency to allow the hospital to continue to grow.”

I am pleased to announce that two new surgical suites for Nenagh General Hospital are now nearing the final stages and are due to be approved by the Department of Health in the coming weeks.

As part of my agreed overall plan with the last Government in respect of Nenagh Hospital we are now ready for the Department of Health to sign off on the two new surgical suites for the hospital. I insisted that these operating theatres were essential for the future of the Hospital as the suites in place are antiquated and lacking in modern technologies. As a result this project was included in the HSE National Plan. During her visit to the hospital in November of 2010 to open the endoscopy suite, Mary Harney, the Minister of Health at the time announced that the two surgical suites could proceed to design and planning at an estimated cost at €3.5 million.

Since then the surgical suites have been progressed to the final stage. All consultations have taken place, theatre designs have been completed and tenders for the works have been accepted. We are now awaiting Departmental approval to allow the construction works to commence. A decision to proceed to construction is expected in the coming weeks.

These new operating theatres will be a further boost for Nenagh Hospital and will again further its development as a centre of excellence for healthcare in the Mid-West. I believe that these units will again advance the case of the hospital and secure its future as it continues to grow and expand.

The large investment package for Nenagh General Hospital which I advanced in return for supporting the last Government has been of huge benefit to the Hospital. As the benefit of this investment becomes evident, the future of the Hospital is secure based on the huge success of these facilitates, in particular the state of the art endoscopy suite that was developed on site. This top class facility and the other substantial interventions and investment in Nenagh Hospital have greatly increased the throughput of the Hospital.

During the period of the last Government I secured in excess of €4 million in funding for Nenagh General Hospital. The progression of the surgical suites to the final stage marks the culmination of this investment, the benefits of which are now being reaped by the Hospital and the community.

During that Government I fought for and secured a large investment package for Nenagh General Hospital which was essential to upgrade the services available there. This investment included over €2 million for a state of the art endoscopy suite, a new sterile services department, two new lifts. All of these facilities have become fully operational with huge success.

The construction of a two-room endoscopy suite attached to the hospital was announced by myself in 2009.  This project has facilitated the development of endoscopy services on site which has enhanced the delivery of gastroenterological diagnostics at the hospital and for the region. The completion of the endoscopy suite has set Nenagh apart as an expert facility.

After speaking to Management of the HSE Mid-West, I have been informed that the new services and in particular the endoscopy suite have been of huge benefit in furthering the development and growth of Nenagh Hospital. In the past year the throughput at Nenagh Hospital and those availing of its services has increased by 40%. This is as a direct result of the endoscopy suite which greatly increases patient numbers through the hospital. The success of this suite and the improved services in the hospital have now secured the future of the hospital based on the activity created. I would like to commend the management and staff of the hospital for their hard work and determination. The efficient management and operating of these new facilities is an essential factor in their success and is a tribute to their professionalism.

I am delighted that the new road at the hospital roundabout linking Nenagh and the Templemore road is just completed. This road is an important piece of infrastructure which will assist in alleviating traffic congestion in the town of Thurles. During my time as Minister and the period of the last Government I succeeded in guiding this development through a slow and at times frustrating process.

The requirement for a bridge over the railway complicated procedures and led to delays. I would like to compliment and thank Council engineers on their expertise and co-operation and also Iarnród Éireann for facilitating the fly over bridge.

Over many years I promoted, advanced, and at each stage progressed the necessary funding. I am pleased that the link road is at last complete and will shortly be available for public use. I am also delighted that the road will be named after one of our all-time greats Jimmy Doyle.

 The Minister’s refusal to row back on budgetary cuts to the education sector will have a hugely negative impact on smaller schools across the country and will be also hugely damaging to minority schools. I believe that the Minster has underestimated the depth of anger and frustration with this measure. In Tipperary alone the effects will be devastating.

Since the true effect of this measure has come to light my office has been flooded with concerns from schools, teachers, parents and indeed the wider community.

Quite simply there are hundreds of families in this constituency alone who are affected by the cuts to our schools. There is not a village or area across the constituency that has not been negatively impacted in some way by this measure or who are not concerned as to the future of a local school. The level of anxiety that has been expressed to me in the last number of weeks is overwhelming. Yet despite this, to date the Minister has refused to offer any solace.

It must also be highlighted that these budgetary changes will have a hugely detrimental impact on minority schools such as those of the protestant faith. This fact has not been highlighted as of yet. Such schools are hit particularly hard by these announcements given their smaller enrolment numbers. Of the 200 protestant schools in the country 50 have less than 30 pupils. It is estimated that 65% of Church of Ireland schools will lose a mainstream teacher as a direct result of Budget 2012.

This is hugely discriminatory and unfair. It disregards the importance to parents of having their children educated in a school of their own denomination. I will be petitioning the Minister on behalf of these schools and all affected schools.