David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I tabled the matter because of a commitment in the HSE south service plan to remove 13 long-stay beds from Dungarvan community hospital. The Minister of State will be aware that a number of short-stay beds were closed in the hospital last year and that was seen as a temporary measure. At the time, I said that I feared this was a prerequisite to the closure of long-stay beds in the hospital. The HSE issued a statement saying that would not be the case, that the hospital would not lose any long-stay beds, the closure of the short-stay beds was a temporary measure and that they would be reopened. Here we are a few short months later and an announcement has been made to close 13 beds.

A statement from HSE south says: "As a result of staff retirements, it will be necessary to reduce the long-stay bed complement of the community hospital in Dungarvan by 13." I have correspondence from Unite trade union and I spoke to some members of staff who have been informed by the hospital management that the intention is to close St. Michael's ward, which is a 16-bed ward. Which is it? We need to know and, in particular, the relatives of the patients need to know what is happening. Is it what the HSE outlined in its service plan, that 13 beds will be closed? Is it what HSE management is on the record as saying, that there will not be ward closures and that a number of beds across a number of wards will be closed? Is it the case that the hospital management are right and it is going to be the closure of the ward and the loss of the 16 beds?

I got a phone call yesterday from the son of a resident in St. Michael's ward. The resident is 92 years of age, has been there for many years and is very comfortable in the ward. The family is very concerned that if that individual is moved, it will have an impact on his quality of life. HIQA has examined St. Michael's ward on three occasions and while it expressed some reservations about the size of the canteen, it had no concerns about safety.

HSE management says this must happen and the beds must go because of staff shortages and non-replacement of staff who are leaving. Does this not demonstrate again that the embargo on public sector recruitment and voluntary redundancies in the health service are impacting on patient care and are resulting in beds being taken out of the system? Would the Minister of State agree that in a place like west Waterford, where there is an ageing population, as we have throughout the State, removing beds from the public system in hospitals like Dungarvan community hospital, will have long-term and short-term consequences? It does not make sense in a country with an ageing population to close long-term beds for the elderly.

Which will happen? Will we see the HSE's position that 13 beds across a number of wards will close or will we see the hospital management view that St. Michael's ward will close with the loss of 16 beds? Perhaps the Minister of State can offer some clarity.