Danny Healy-Rae: Demands answers on delayed Killarney CNU

Thank you, Comhairleach, Minister, I'm glad to get the opportunity to raise this issue here again today. And I want to tell you how I'm here again today. I raised this topic exactly one month ago on the 12th of May with Minister of State Kieran O'Donnell. And we spoke at LinkedIn about the need and the urgency for opening the hospital. And subsequently on the 29th of May, there was a meeting arranged between the HSE locally and the elected members from Kerry, our five TDs, I being one of them. And it was laid out clearly in front of us by the HSE people who I believe are in charge of Cork and Kerry, that the community hospital in Killarney would open before the end of June. That was the 29th of May. About a week ago it was made known to the county councillors that it would not open at the end of June. Well now I feel, I don't know, I won't speak for the other deputies, but I feel my credibility is being undermined by this kind of a carry-on. That's what I call it, a carry-on. Because we were told clearly it was going to open and that the patients would be transferred across from the old district hospital and the community hospital, the district hospital, to the new community hospital building before the end of June. I want to know here, Minister, who's calling the shots? Is it the HSE at national level? Is it the Minister? Who has the power or who has the responsibility or who directed these people? Did they take it upon themselves? I don't think they did. Someone informed them to relate to us that the hospital would open before the end of June. I want an answer to that and I don't know whether you can give it to me or not. I talked to the Minister that was here last month and I have learned that he's gone away and that's fine, the man is entitled to go about his business but I thought it would be him that would be here. You see, there's many elderly patients waiting to get into this public nursing home because we have excellent nursing homes in Killarney, private nursing homes, excellent, all around. But you see, we need the dementia unit. It's critical for so many people because there's young people getting dementia now at a younger age. There's many people getting it at a younger age and there's 30 beds to be part of this opening for dementia patients and there's many private nursing homes that can't cater for dementia patients and don't have the facilities. And we'll beg you down on our knees for this. The lights have been on it, Minister, since before Christmas and it was clear to go. I raised the issue with Minister O'Donnell. The INMO said that there was no engagement by the HSE with him regarding the staffing. The HSE said they were engaging with him every second day or every second week. So who's telling the truth? It has come out now that the reasons for the delay is that exactly that. The INMO and also that HICWA have question marks or some things to be answered. No lesion. It will be hard to see the children's hospital ever opening if we can't open the community hospital in Killarney. You'll have an opportunity again in a moment. All right, thank you very much. Thank you Deputy for raising this really serious issue and I'm taking this on behalf of Minister of Older People and Housing Ciarán O'Donnell. So look, the long-term residential care is a critical part of our healthcare system, Deputy, and across the country our HSE community nursing units and community hospitals play a vital role in the provision of long-term care and other services. But this Government is committed to continued investment in healthcare infrastructure which supports the highest quality care for our older people. So these investments include the community nursing unit capital programme which was launched to ensure that up to 90 of our public community nursing units and community hospitals would be refurbished or replaced to ensure the best quality environments for our older people. So the public-private partnership aspect of which is the CNU programme continues to progress and will deliver 528 beds in seven facilities across the country. The new CNU in Killarney is part of this PPP project and will have 130 beds, as you said Deputy, 50 long-stay beds, 30 dementia-specific beds and 50 short-stay beds. So the CNU will provide a high-quality living environment which will be in line with our regulatory requirements. The HSE advised me that they expect the new Killarney community nursing unit to open before the end of June. So they are still saying this now Deputy, this only came to me yesterday, so this is what they're saying. Now it's dependent on registration approval from HICWA, so you're right HICWA is what they're waiting on as well. The HSE are engaging with HICWA regarding a small number of outstanding issues, so there is some issues that they are working, the HSE are working with HICWA and you're right, this is about opening these units, these are critical, so they are. So once HICWA registration is granted, the HSE will then set a date and move forward with the transfer of the residents from St Columbanus and the District Hospital to the new building. HSE South West has assured the Minister that there is ongoing engagement with the residents and their families ahead of the transfer, so there has been a lot of engagement. All current staff from both St Columbanus and Killarney Community Hospital will transfer to the new facility. I have been advised by the HSE that the recruitment campaigns are underway for the additional staff required to extend occupancy to the full of 130 bed capacity. I am aware that, and this is what you spoke about Deputy, I am aware that the INMO have served notice of industrial action last Friday in relation to staffing levels at the newly built Killarney Community Nursing Unit, so you're right on that. So the HSE have advised that there has been active dialogue by way of weekly meetings with unions over the last two months. The HSE advise that much has been agreed and some further engagements regarding staff rosters are in the final stages, so Deputy, they are in the final stages of this and there has been a lot of communication. I wish to advise you Deputy that the HSE will meet again with the INMO tomorrow, Thursday 11 June. The HSE hope that an agreement can be reached on the remaining outstanding issues at this meeting and I want to thank the staff and everyone and the representative bodies for their continued engagement because we know the excellent work that they do. I wish to advise you Deputy that the HSE South West will continue to engage with the residents, their families, staff and wider community on all updates in relation to the opening of the new Killarney Community Nursing Unit and I just want to say again Deputy that the opening of the new Community Nursing Unit in Killarney is an absolute priority for myself, for all the Ministers and the Department of Health and I have no doubt that this state-of-the-art CNU will enhance the lives of older people in Killarney and surrounding areas for many years to come by providing the highest quality health and social care services and I look forward to seeing it officially open and I'm sure you'll let us know and you'll be at it yourself Deputy but this is important, you're right, it's everybody working together now to get it open. Thank you Minister. Thank you for your reply Minister and I have to say most of practically everything they do right out there was right out by Ciarán O'Donnell a month ago and here we are with this confusion again placed upon the people of Killarney and the surrounding area and it's not sure and surely the HSE knew that the hospital was to be finished before the end of December last, surely they knew that staffing arrangements would have to be agreed with the INMO, surely they knew that HICWA would have to have everything certified and why wasn't that done that year and a half or two years now nearly for to organise all this and we're being taught the same thing here today as I was being taught a month ago and so much is contingent on this hospital opening because we need respite services, extra respite services in Killarney which were to go into the old district, we need a minor injuries unit which was going to I think St Columbanus and then a primary care centre so all these things are being held up while this is being finalised and what I see happening now, the summer holidays will come and I'm worried that the new hospital won't be open and I'm worried that there'll be no data done about the treatments especially the extra respite services that are needed for people, I see people couldn't go on holidays last year after minding their elderly or sick parents or sisters or brothers, they couldn't go after giving the whole, they had no place for the patients to go and we thought we would promise that if we decided for and sorted out for this summer, it's not going to be and that's the crib that I have and I think it's terrible to think that there's some fooling and carry on going on between the HSE and God knows they're getting enough money to spend it properly and to see that it's properly done and that things like this are done in a timely fashion. First of all again I want to thank you for highlighting this and again as you said the opening at the end of June is a priority for you but I would like to reiterate that the older person service in Killarney and surrounding areas will be enhanced by the opening as you said of the new state-of-the-art 130 bed community nursing units but as already stated the new CNU in Killarney is part of the overall CNU program which will deliver seven PPP projects and it will have a complement of 130 beds provided, 50 long stay beds, 30 dementia specific beds and 50 short stay beds so again as I said you know I want to reinstate that the HSE are engaging with HICWA regarding a small number of outstanding issues and expect the new Killarney community nursing unit to be open before the end of June. Again it's waiting on the HICWA registration but I welcome that there is ongoing engagement deputy taking place again tomorrow and I hope that their outstanding issues can be resolved so there is some more engagement tomorrow so once again I want to thank the staff and the representative bodies for their continued engagement. I wish to state again that the opening of the new CNU in Killarney is an absolute priority for the Department of Health and the HSE and I am working with the ministers committed to ensuring that the residents can move into their new home without delay.