Tom Morrissey (Progressive Democrats)

I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Tim O'Malley, for coming to the House today to give a report on unit 9 of James Connolly Memorial Hospital which is due to be relocated to a new purpose built hospital. I also raised this matter in February at which time I was informed by the Minister that a snag list was being compiled and due to be discussed the following week. This would have been around 11 February. Since then I have had a meeting with senior management of the Northern Area Health Board and attended a meeting where I expected to meet the assistant chief executive but there were no less than four other managers present to discuss the subject with me. I was quite surprised by this because I had been led to believe there were no problems. At the meeting I was promised I would be given a copy of the snag list. While I was not supplied with the list by the Northern Area Health Board, I did receive it from another source.

The report I have been given states:

It is a story of incompetence and neglect that will cost the Tax-payer hundreds of thousands of Euro, if not millions . The Design Team did not include Psychiatric Nurses and indeed excluded the Director of Nursing who has now been given responsibility for its operation . it is no exaggeration to describe this Unit as a disaster, to say it is the worst ever provided to the Psychiatric Services, to declare that it is unsafe for Staff, compromises Patient care and raises the distinct possibility that Patients will refuse to go there.