PATIENTS AND supporters of the Rowan Ward facility for HIV sufferers at Cherry Orchard Hospital in Dublin protested yesterday over concerns about the transfer of the unit to the city centre.
The HSE intends to move the facility to a homeless addiction service on Usher’s Quay.
The 18-bed ward is the only facility in the State that provides medical care and respite to long-term HIV sufferers, some of whom are homeless or addicted to drugs.
The new unit on Usher’s Quay, run in conjunction with the Simon Community, will have eight beds.
Three long-stay patients who have been at the facility for almost 20 years will be moved to another ward in Cherry Orchard Hospital itself. The transfer follows a recommendation based on a review of the service.
People before Profit councillor Bríd Smith said she lacked faith in the HSE with regard to providing adequate services for HIV sufferers. “There has been a lack of consultation between the HSE and the clients who use the facility. The closure of the facility at Cherry Orchard should be delayed until we can see that the new facility in Usher’s Quay is adequate,” said Ms Smith.
“The clients who use the Rowan Ward facility have particular needs that Usher’s Quay will not be able to provide, such as intravenous drips or oxygen.”
Ms Smith fears that the comprehensive range of services available to HIV patients in Cherry Orchard, including psychiatric and counselling services, will not be available in the new unit.
She said the closure would be “a great concern at a time when cases of HIV have increased in Ireland”.
Linda McDonagh, an inpatient at Rowan Ward, opposes the closure after using the facilities for several years.
“If one of us ends up getting sick, where do we go? Until the end of August, we have Rowan Ward but when that goes we will not have adequate facilities. The closure is not cost-effective because if we get sick, we’ll end up taking up a bed in a general hospital,” said Ms McDonagh.
“Services users have not been consulted at all by the HSE and our needs are not being acknowledged. If this unit does close, I want to thank all the staff, past and present, as they have saved many lives over the years.”
Ann O’Flanagan, sister of a patient in Rowan Ward, supported the protest, held outside Cherry Orchard yesterday, because she objects to the downsizing of the unit from 18 beds to eight.
“All credit to the Simon Community, they do great work with the homeless, but they’re not qualified to deal with the needs of HIV sufferers. This is the only HIV respite ward in the country and the human cost will be grave. It makes no financial sense to close the unit,” said Ms O’Flanagan.
A HSE spokesperson said the review of Rowan Ward, which was conducted with input from stakeholders, found that the existing service could be greatly improved by providing it in the community and by connecting it with the “Pathway to Home” model.
This is aimed at helping people who want to make the transition from homelessness to independent living. “The HSE will continue to fund the care of those transferring from the Rowan Ward and it is committed to the potential of this new and improved way of care planning in an integrated fashion into the future,” the spokesperson added.