Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)

Gabhaim buíochas le hOifig an Chinn Comhairle as an deis a thabhairt dom an cheist seo a ardú. I thank the Office of the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me the time to raise a matter, which is of deep concern to people in south Kerry.

The Minister of State is probably aware of this issue and I hope he will have a positive answer for the people who are waiting for one. As the Minister of State will be aware, a hub for outpatient psychiatric services in St. Anne's Hospital, Cahersiveen holds a fortnightly clinic for outpatient psychiatric services. It deals with psychiatric services, psychology, cognitive behaviour therapy, teen psychology, occupational health, social workers, elder care and community nurses. The service helps the most vulnerable people in south Kerry. One of the people I spoke to last Friday told me they have worked there at least 30 years, if not since 1991. We all know how important such services are, not just in rural parts but the entire county of Kerry.

The service deals with people from all over south Kerry, including Valencia, Castlecove, Dromad and Caherdaniel. We met people from the Iveragh Mental Health Association last Friday, including retired staff, who came to us to express their deep concern at the proposal to move the services to Killorglin. There is deep frustration. The ambulance service is seeking a permanent stand-alone space. From what I was told, there is a proposal on an interim basis, which means three to five years, to move services to Killorglin. People, quite rightly and understandably, have deep concerns about services being moved on an interim basis because they know what that will mean, namely, that they might never come back.

There is no primary health care centre in Cahersiveen. There is a massive shortage of GPs. It is unbelievable that services that were due to be expanded will instead be moved. No other site has been proposed. If the service is closed, inevitably people will miss appointments. People who depend on the services are reliant on public transport. Although that has improved, it is inevitable that a change in location will result in people missing appointments or will not turn up for them.

That will increase the burden on the already overstretched GP service. People may have to go up to the accident and emergency department in University Hospital Kerry, which is about 42 miles away and under pressure. This will all lead to an increased risk of mental health crisis in the area. The team there was hoping to develop and expand services. Not only will that aspiration be knocked back, but these services will be put back even further.

We did contact the HSE, but I am hoping the Minister of State will have a positive answer for me. I am asking that psychiatric services be retained in south Kerry. If there is a proposal to move them, then the HSE will have to justify it. I cannot see how it can do that and neither can the people down there see how it is going to do it. I am hoping, though, that the Minister of State will say this is not going to happen.

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