Ó Caoláin demands Ministerial intervention to stop “savage mental health cuts” in Co. Monaghan

Sinn Féin Health spokesperson and Cavan-Monaghan TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin has revealed that the HSE is planning to close the 12-bed Admissions Unit and the Day Centre for patients with mental illness at St. Davnet’s Psychiatric Hospital in Monaghan town.

The Sinn Féin Dáil leader has called on the Minister of State for Mental Health, John Moloney TD, to intervene immediately to prevent what Deputy Ó Caoláin described as “savage cuts to mental health services” in County Monaghan.

Deputy Ó Caoláin said:

“It was disclosed within the HSE North East this week that the HSE is planning to close the 12-bed Admissions Unit at St. Davnet’s Psychiatric Hospital in Monaghan and to move the unit to Cavan General Hospital. This would be a severe blow to services for people with mental illness in Co. Monaghan. It would also mean further pressure on already over-stretched services in Cavan.

“I understand that a second severe blow is planned by the HSE with the proposed closure of the Day Centre at St. Davnet’s. This Centre caters for people living in the community and it is a vital facility. Its closure would run totally contrary to Government policy as set out in A Vision for Change which encourages care in the community rather than institutionalisation. It would remove from people those vital supports that assist them to live normal lives in their communities.

“It is estimated that mental health services are to be cut by some €5 million in Cavan and Monaghan in 2010. These savage cuts to mental health services must be stopped. I have today written to the Minister of State for Mental Health, John Moloney TD, to demand his immediate intervention to stop the HSE from going ahead with these cuts.

“Last year I led a cross-constituency delegation of my party, including the then Mayors of Counties Monaghan and Cavan, on a visit to St. Davnet’s when we presented a strong case for the retention of the Admissions Unit at the St. Davnet’s campus. We will work with determination, and with all who genuinely share our stated objective, to try to ensure that the axe does not fall on yet another vital health facility in County Monaghan.”

“Fianna Fáil must not cut special needs assistants” - Carthy

South Monaghan Sinn Féin Councillor, Matt Carthy, has called on the Fianna Fáil Minister for Education and Science not to proceed with cuts to special needs support which will see as many as 1,200 Special Needs Assistants being made redundant by the end of March 2010.

Cllr. Carthy said: “It is estimated that by March 2010 as many as 1,200 Special Needs Assistants will have been made redundant including many in County Monaghan. Support is being withdrawn from children with a wide range of conditions within the Autism spectrum, ADHD, Dyslexia and in one reported case Down's syndrome.

“This is a scandalous situation and one which not only has a direct impact on jobs but also will cause massive hardship to extremely vulnerable young children.

“Cuts to special needs support is not only heartless, the move will seriously impair these children’s education for years to come having knock-on effects in the future. It is yet another example of this Government’s short-sighted ‘cost-cutting’ measures. Special needs assistants are not a luxury that can be cut, they are absolutely essential and an integral part of the education system. Children with special needs are not second class citizens; they deserve adequate and equal care to any other child in this state.

“At the moment we do not have a clear figure of how many SNAs have been lost and indeed how many more are to go. Hundreds of SNA’s are employed in County Monaghan alone. These SNAs deserve to know if they will have a job in the next months. We also don't know if further cuts to SNAs will happen in the middle of the school year and if children will even have until the end of the year with their SNA.

“Fianna Fáil need to get it out of their heads that making blind cuts in an effort to save money will achieve anything unless they take into account the very real impact that such cuts will have. These are children we are talking about not numbers. They have a right to be educated in an appropriate environment with the appropriate supports to suit their needs”.

Niall Quigley attacks Fine Gael plans to cut social welfare and sell off state assets

Speaking this week, Sinn Féin Councillor Niall Quigley expressed concerns over Fine Gael’s plans to cut social welfare and to sell off vital state assets.

The Clones Town Council member said: “Cutting Social Welfare will not solve the problem of unemployment. Sinn Féin vehemently opposed the cuts to Social Welfare in Budget 2010 that saw jobseeker’s allowance being cut for young people under 25. What we need to remember is that these young people on jobseekers allowance have already undergone a means test which demonstrates that they have no or limited alternative income.”

Speaking about Fine Gael’s so-called New ERA stimulus package, Cllr. Quigley said:

“I would be unsupportive of a stimulus package that would sell off State assets. Never could the dangers of privatisation be more relevant. Look at the case of SR Technics, formerly FLS Aerospace, formerly Team Aer Lingus which emerged from the mechanical and engineering section of a public sector company Aer Lingus. This is a classic example of where the privatisation agenda takes us; how it leaves workers on the dole queue.

“All we need to do is look at recent events to know that privatisation is detrimental for employment. Jobs are being held at ransom to the interests of big business. Where the Government cannot provide jobs themselves, we have to rely on big fish to bring in jobs.

“The former employees of SR Technics are in limbo. The government sold off Aer Lingus, failed to retain their jobs, failed to create alternative employment for them and now failed to guarantee them education, upskilling and training. We have seen similar stories as a result of the privatisation of Eircom, Irish Sugar and many others. Unfortunately it appears that Fine Gael want to repeat the mistakes of the past.”

Treanor expresses anger over Clones Roads Allocation

Sinn Féin Clones area Councillor, Pat Treanor, has expressed anger and disappointment over the fact that improvement works to a number of accident black-spots in the Clones and Aghabog areas have not been included in this years Regional and Local Roads Grant Allocation. Dangerous corners at Cladowen/Glear and a road junction at Cornasoo on the Threemilehouse/Newbliss road were left off the list, although Monaghan County Council Road Engineers had prioritised these two locations for immediate safety works.

Cllr. Treanor said, after receiving the allocations on Monday:

“It is scandalous that the Department should ignore the advice and recommendations of our professional Road Engineers. Years of lobbying by myself and other local people brought a focus on the dangers to drivers and pedestrians of the corners on the Clones to Newbliss road and the junction ant Cornasoo. I have spoken to the Engineers, who are adamant that these two project were applied for under the ‘Specific Improvement Grants’ heading and were high up on the priority list. Out of €900,000 allocated to County Monaghan, which in itself is miserly, under this heading, not one cent comes to the Clones area. I will be asking Monaghan County Council to ensure a more equal distribution of road funds and to make an exception this year in favour of the Clones area.”

Scotshouse

Meanwhile Cllr Pat Treanor welcomed the allocation of €20,000 under the heading of ‘Low Cost Safety Improvement Grant’ to Analore Bridge, and €10,000 to improvement works at Victory’s Corner on the Scotshouse to Treehoo road.

He said: “I want to welcome the grant of €30,000 for these two projects. Residents in these areas will be glad to see, that at long last, these very dangerous junctions will be made safer.”

“Monaghan Patients Denied Access to Recuperation in Monaghan Hospital!” - McKenna

The Sinn Féin member on the Regional Health Forum, Brian McKenna, has described as “scandalous” the confirmation from the HSE this week that Monaghan patients who have procedures carried out in any hospital other than Cavan General cannot and will not be repatriated to recuperate and recover in Monaghan. This is despite the fact that 26 non-acute beds had been set aside in the hospital under the North-East Transformation Programme.

The North Monaghan councillor was speaking after making representation to the HSE on behalf of two Monaghan patients, one from Cavan Hospital and the other from Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, to be repatriated to Monaghan hospital to recuperate following recent procedures.

Speaking this week an angry Cllr McKenna said: “This, in my opinion, represents yet another u-turn on the part of the HSE in relation to what they promised the people of this county under the North-East Transformation Programme. We were told that the 50 acute beds in Monaghan General Hospital would be reduced to 26 non-acute, 13 of which would be for rehabilitation and 13 a mixture of step-down/ respite/ convalescent beds. The HSE are now saying these beds are only for patients who are referred back from a stay in Cavan Hospital and if a patient is returning from Drogheda or a Dublin Hospital then they must go home or possibly to a nursing home if one can be found with a free bed.

“This is outrageous and a breach of trust and faith by the HSE with the people of this county. I would encourage families to refuse to accept family members from Drogheda or Dublin hospitals who return within days of operations and have no facilities or family members to look after them. This is an issue I intend to raise at the next meeting of the Regional Health Forum”.

Cllr. McKenna also called on local Fianna Fáil representatives to “once and for all get of the sidelines” on the issue of Monaghan General Hospital. The fact is that this government can intervene to not only resolve this issue but indeed ensure that all services previously removed can be restored to our hospital. Unfortunately the local Fianna Fáil councillors and TD’s have shown little appetite to stand up to their own party on this issue.

“It is also ironic that this news has been revealed just a little over a week since the Fine Gael members joined Fianna Fáil in ensuring that visiting Ministers to our county can now waltz in without being confronted on this issue by elected representatives in an official capacity.”