Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State's words are the opposite of the reality. She stated that she will enable people to live at home and that she is committed to supporting people living in dignity and independence. These cuts are the opposite of that. The Government continues to do that, despite a €17 billion budget. The perception among the staff is that the health and safety report suited the cutting agenda when it came to community care beds. There is a reduction in the number of transitional care beds and that is a shocking development in community healthcare across the Dublin region at a time when we are aware of the level of demand and the necessity to facilitate discharges.

It was not last week, when the announcement was made, that the HSE first discovered that this is an 18th century building. Where was the forward planning unit? It knew that any 18th century building would give rise to health and safety concerns, but the HSE has allowed the building to fall into its current state and is using that as a means to facilitate the cutting agenda because it cannot manage its budget. Again, that is poor planning and evidence of a rudderless health policy. Sláintecare is further away than ever, particularly as St. Mary's is what Sláintecare means to the local community in west Dublin.

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