Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)

I support the Fine Gael motion. It appears that winter has come early to the mid-west. First came the chilling announcement of the withdrawal of the Shannon to Heathrow service. Today, I learned of a recruitment freeze in the airline in question. More than one month ago, staff throughout the region were informed of the Health Service Executive's, freeze. Effectively, it has downgraded services at Ennis General Hospital. This was preceded by the closure of the hospital's mammography unit despite its upgrading. Members have learned the HSE's freeze will last for another month, which will put at risk key services, will make for tougher working conditions for existing staff and will raise question marks regarding complaints about patient care in the mid-west and nationwide.

The problem is that the HSE, much like the Government, is involved in reactionary policies with no obvious long-term planning and on foot of which profit and loss are put before patient care. As the HSE has a budget of €14 billion, how can it work on a month to month basis? Although a businessman who sought funding from a bank manager would have a business plan, the HSE has no such plan. It operates on a month to month basis, which is disgraceful. How can any organisation work in this fashion?

How low can the Government go? At Ennis General Hospital, services such as palliative care, respiratory care, infection control and cardiac rehabilitation are under threat. Palliative care concerns those who are about to pass from this life and such individuals, as well as their families, require a nurse to work with them. As for infection control, the Minister has sought improvements to such services in this House to combat MRSA. This cannot happen. In respect of the vital service of cardiac rehabilitation, nurses are being informed by hospital management that they must give up this service to move into hospital wards. How can the Minister sit idly by and allow this to happen?

A report was completed recently by a medic from the University of Leeds on staffing levels at Ennis General Hospital. He recommended that a total of 26 additional nurses should be deployed at the hospital. However, only one was appointed and that post has been lost because of the cuts under discussion. At present, four nurses serve two 26-bed wards at night and patient care is at risk. I spoke to a nurse today who told me she was obliged to bless herself with holy water before going on duty at night because she was afraid the service would not be there.

This action is disgraceful. Ennis General Hospital is over budget and operates above its bed capacity, which is the reason for its overrun. At times, it operates at 117%, as its staff do not wish to turn away sick patients and should not be obliged to so do. A public demonstration took place in Ennis last weekend, at which the people of Clare said, "hands off Ennis General Hospital". They want nothing more or less than 24-hour consultant-led accident and emergency services at Ennis General Hospital.

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