Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the presence in the Chamber of the Acting Chairman, Deputy Feighan, and of the Minister of State, Deputy Cannon. I am calling for a stay to be put on the reconfiguration of mental health services in the Galway-Roscommon area, pending a review of the services available in the wider catchment area, which comprises the west and midlands regions. The initial evaluation of the acute units in the region was flawed. On the question of whether the location is adjacent to a major or regional hospital, Roscommon hospital was deemed to be an excellent level 2 hospital, which is a hospital that does not have an accident and emergency department and where minor surgery is the only form of surgery that is available. Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe scored below average even though it is a level 3 hospital, which is a hospital with a 24-hour, seven-day accident and emergency unit and where complex surgery is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is alleged that the reason for Portiuncula Hospital's score is that the €3.1 million St. Luke's acute psychiatric unit is 3 km away.

The HSE is currently spending €5 million upgrading a similar acute unit in St. Loman's Hospital in Mullingar, which is 3 km from the level-3 regional hospital in Mullingar. The minutes of a meeting in January 2011 refer to one of the authors of that evaluation, Mr. John Meehan, stating that St. Brigid's Hospital was to close. Clearly the report was to endorse the decision and not the other way around.

This is not about Roscommon versus Ballinasloe because the same meeting in 2011 outlined that the long-term plan for the Galway, Roscommon and Mayo mental health catchment area was for 50 acute psychiatric beds. Coincidentally that is what is planned in a new €13 million unit in Galway University Hospital. This would leave psychiatric patients, who are neighbours of the Acting Chairman, Deputy Feighan, 120 km away from their local acute psychiatric unit.

Patients are not at the centre of the plan for reconfiguration. For example, eight months ago when a woman lost her life in Roscommon psychiatric unit, I was told that there was no six-bed high-dependency observation unit vacant in Galway University Hospital. However, when management at Galway University Hospital realised last September what was being planned with the closure of St. Luke's unit in Ballinasloe, miraculously this six-bed unit was found and is now being opened. Beds are being found to deliver on the downgrading plans but not to protect patients. I urge the Minister of State to carry out an independent review of the services across the region.

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