Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I know the Minister of State is trying and is putting money into the service, but people are not happy with it. It is a very sensitive issue to discuss, but if people who have relations in the unit in Roscommon hospital are worried about it and telling me it is an appalling situation that must be addressed immediately, one must make a choice. One can either talk about it openly and potentially be accused of making people wary of using the services, or keep quiet about it, which lessens the chance that something will be done to solve the problems. There are problems, regardless of what people might admit is causing them, be it staff shortages or the requirement for a secure unit or whatever acronym one wishes to use for it. In fact, the lack of a secure unit is causing a major problem. It is causing a logjam which means that nurses and staff must be taken out of the community to deal with difficult situations in the unit. As a result, people who go to the local services in order that they can avoid going to the acute services end up having nowhere else to go but the acute services. Obviously something must be done.

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