A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Homehelp service tunes in for death notices
THE PRESSURES are such on one home help service that its managers listen in daily to the death notices on local radio to see if space can be freed up in order to cut waiting lists.
Clarecare provides homehelp services to 1,000 clients and its long serving director, Fiacre Hensey, yesterday hit out at Government plans to reduce the service’s homehelp hours warning that, if implemented, “it will lead to even greater isolation with increased depression and suicide risk” among people receiving the service. Mr Hensey revealed that homehelp managers at Clarecare listen to the daily death notices on Clare FM to see if space can be freed up on the home- help service. He said yesterday: “It is a pathetic situation to be in, but that is what we have to do.
Currently, the demand on Clarecare’s homehelp service is at an historic high with its approved waiting list for homehelps at 125.
On Government plans to reduce homehelp hours, Mr Hensey said: “There will be a lot of fall-out removing those hours of homehelp. What is being proposed is just horrible. I am just concerned that the people making the decision have no real understanding of the frontline service and what it delivers, because if they had, they would look elsewhere. I really think that.” This year, Clarecare agreed with the HSE to provide 180,000 hours of homehelp in an overall programme costing €3.5 million. Mr Hensey said that Clarecare employs 400 homehelps on a part-time basis to provide the service. Along with the 125 assessed and deemed suitable for home-help, 25-30 are awaiting assessment.
GORDON DEEGAN
Emergency treatment to end at Ennis Hospital
EMERGENCY TREATMENT of patients at Ennis Hospital in Co Clare is to end, with 999 cases being referred to Limerick, the HSE has confirmed. Ennis is the second hospital in the HSE Mid-West region to see its emergency centre downgraded to a local injuries unit. Yesterday, the emergency department at Nenagh General Hospital closed as services became centralised in the Mid-West Regional Hospital in Limerick.
No date has been set for the end of emergency services at Ennis, the HSE said in a statement. A spokesman said that while emergency services would transfer to Limerick or the nearest appropriate hospital, Ennis would continue to admit GP-referred patients with less critical conditions.
Similarly, many patients would be transferred back to Ennis for follow-on care after initial treatment in Limerick.
The spokesman said a significant lead-in time was needed before the change was made to allow for discussions between all involved.
The local injuries unit in Ennis will focus on the care of adults and children over five with injuries such as broken bones, soft tissue injuries and wounds.
Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley called on the Government to explain the rationale for the decision, pointing out that Taoiseach Enda Kenny made a pre-election commitment to retain cardiac facilities. However, local Government TDs Joe Carey and Pat Breen claim they have received reassurances from Minister for Health James Reilly that no final decision has been made about services at the hospital.
PAUL CULLEN, Health Correspondent
GAA pundit speaks on mental health
RTÉ SPORTS commentator and former All Ireland Offaly hurler Michael Duignan will speak about his own mental health issues at a GAA-organised event in Portlaoise today.
As part of Laois’s first mental health awareness week, Your Games, Your Health: The link between Sport Well Being, is one of a series of events being run by the GAA to highlight mental health issues. Laois Connects Mental Health Awareness Week runs from September 15th-22nd.