Séamus Healy (Tipperary, Workers and Unemployed Action Group) | Oireachtas source

Any works to upgrade the unit in Kilkenny are welcome. There is a proposal for a crisis house in Clonmel but that is not the issue here. The issue is the availability of inpatient psychiatric beds in Tipperary and the fact that the current service is simply not fit for purpose. The court case is not the only issue. In fact, it is only the tip of the iceberg. The Mental Health Commission reports for 2015, 2016 and 2017, the most recent available, state that in all 21 areas covered, the Kilkenny unit is non-compliant. In many of the areas, such as staffing, premises, drugs and the transfer and admission of patients, the unit has not been compliant since 2015. The fact of the matter is that it is accepted by the HSE and the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, that there are not enough psychiatric inpatient beds in the south east. It is 20 beds short. We want some of the beds back in Tipperary. We want the Government to reopen beds in Clonmel. This is the tip of the iceberg. We have been waiting for inpatient beds for far too long. They should never have been closed.

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