Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I will not reiterate what my constituency colleague has said, except to say there is significant distress because of this issue, caused not just by the announcement but also by its nature. This is not the first time we have had such an announcement. In this forum I raised the issue of the closure of a ward in St. Joseph's Hospital in Ennis, a facility which also treats elderly people. The ward was closed without notice and people were moved throughout the evening and early the next day. Thankfully, it was reopened after two weeks.

I do not think it can come as a surprise that people take holidays. In any work environment or management setting it is something managers have to deal with. Even those who manage one or two people have to take account of the fact that they will take holidays. The date on which tenders were received for the first phase of work to bring Raheen Hospital into compliance with HIQA standards was 10 July, which was good news. It was a statement of intent that Raheen Hospital would continue into the future, but then the news came, on what was otherwise a good news day, that the day care centre would not be open on Monday. If there are shortages, surely the very least that should happen is that people should be told a couple of weeks before in order that those patients reliant on the service and their family members can make plans. It is not just the announcement that is worrying but its timing. It does not cover the HSE in glory in the way it has been managed. I appreciate the reasons, namely, that it is based on sick leave, because people do get sick, but we also know that there is an increased tendency for nurses and medical personnel to get sick because they deal with people who are sick. That is inevitable in managing a health service.

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