Chris Andrews (Dublin Bay South, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In recent weeks, I have met residents in Ringsend and Irishtown. They are greatly concerned that services are being moved from Ringsend and Irishtown primary care centre to the Meath Hospital. Residents are, quite frankly, dismayed by this decision. It will be a great imposition and have a major impact on them, and especially on older people.

Can the Minister of State confirm that this change is going to happen and that services will be moved from Ringsend and Irishtown primary care centre to the Meath Hospital site? These services are important. Residents received letters stating that the physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions were going to be moved out of Irishtown. This is a well populated area, especially with older people, and this move will have a major impact on people. Regarding these older people, Deputy Moynihan, on the previous matter, mentioned keeping people in their homes. This move is going to fast-track people into hospital and lead to a deterioration in people's health. People are receiving these services because they already have mobility issues. There is no transport link from Ringsend and Irishtown to the Meath Hospital just off the South Circular Road. At the last general election and even at the last by-election, the Government candidate spoke about a 15-minute city. This is going to make a 15-minute city impossible because it will take two bus journeys for people to reach the Meath Hospital. When they arrive there and get off the second bus journey, they will then have to take a long walk up to the hospital.

This issue is about the restricting of access. This move is restricting access for older people in Ringsend and Irishtown to community services. People are genuinely dismayed that they will have to move from a perfectly good primary healthcare centre up to the Meath Hospital. In the letters sent to residents, I noticed that these are signed off with "Building a Better Health Service". These are also signed off with a subheading referring to "care, compassion, trust and learning". None of those elements appear to apply to this decision. There certainly does not appear to have been any learning by the Government if it is going to move a perfectly good health centre, and these services therein, to the Meath Hospital. This move will have a major impact and the Government must review this decision. It should ensure, instead, that it is increasing the services in the primary healthcare centre in Ringsend and Irishtown and not reducing them. I ask the Government to act on this issue.

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