THE FUTURE of a community nursing unit at Abbeyleix hospital remained uncertain last night despite a HSE decision to “quash” an order proposing its closure.
The decision which emerged in the High Court yesterday raised local hopes for the future of the facility in Abbeyleix. However, Gary O’Keefe of the Abbeyleix and District Hospital Action Committee warned residents that the decision had simply “reset the clock to zero” in terms of the proposed closure. “This is anything but over. I have been warning people not to start patting themselves on the back.”
The High Court heard yesterday that the HSE decision to close the Abbeyleix Community Nursing Unit had been reversed to facilitate a three-month process of consultation with the elderly residents about their future care.
On that basis an action by three elderly residents to halt the proposed closure of the 28-bed unit in Co Laois has been settled, the president of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, was told by Peter Finlay SC, for the HSE.
Maureen Delaney (89), Bridget O Neill (92) and Catherine Kelly (93), who have been cared for at the Co Laois facility for the past number of years, secured leave last month to bring a judicial challenge to the proposed closure.
The residents claimed they had left behind families and communities to move into the unit some years back, and regarded it as their home. Yet the HSE had decided to close the facility for financial reasons and without any consultation with them. The HSE previously said the unit was being closed on a phased basis due to reduced financial resources.
Asked by the judge yesterday for details of the settlement, Mr Finlay said the order quashing the proposed closure decision made on November 2nd was being agreed to on the limited grounds that a prior process of consultation should be entered into.
The consultation process would run over a 12-week period, would be “meaningful” and involve consideration of all relevant matters, including financial, nursing and the residents’ own issues.
He said the process would involve the HSE engaging with all medical and nursing information concerning each of the residents and taking expert advice as to their situations.
The HSE would also engage with the residents as to their wishes for their future care and their attitude to any move, counsel added.
The dispute in the residents’ proceedings related to “only a proposal to consider closing” the Abbeyleix unit and no decision had been taken to that effect, he said.
John Peart SC, for the residents, said the proposed closure decision of November 2nd was being quashed under the settlement.
Mr Justice Kearns made the order quashing that November 2nd decision and, on consent of the HSE, awarded costs of the proceedings to the residents. He also noted that the Minister for Health, against whom the proceedings were also taken, was to be let out of the case.
Mr O’Keefe later criticised the HSE’s recent attempts at consultation and called for the inclusion of the hospital action committee in future talks.
A HSE spokeswoman said “the HSE today has agreed to set aside its decision to close Abbeyleix Community Nursing Unit”.
“It is the HSE’s intention to initiate a consultation process with all residents of the Abbeyleix community nursing unit on a proposal to consider the closure of the facility.
“The HSE is working on the format of the consultation process and it will inform the residents and their families of the process when it is formalised and ready to commence,” she said.