Respite beds and Navan A&E
Senator Butler called for more respite care beds in Meath, especially at St. Joseph’s in Trim. He then disputed claims that the Navan accident and emergency downgrade never happened, describing its impact on patients and ambulance transfers.
Several weeks ago, the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, opened a new 12-bed unit at St. Joseph's community nursing unit in Trim. We have a terrible shortage of respite care beds in Meath, with only 15 in the county which are scattered all over the place. Compared with Dublin, which has hundreds of respite care beds, Trim has a great opportunity with St. Joseph's community nursing unit because there is a greenfield site of a couple of acres available. There is no reason we cannot continue to build more respite care beds at the site. Will the Minister put money towards more respite care beds in the Meath area?
Do Members recall Tony O'Brien, the former HSE-----
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-----stated in an article in the Meath Chronicle two weeks ago that the accident and emergency services downgrade in Navan never happened and that he regretted this. My late mother spent a lot of time in the accident and emergency department in 2013 and 2014 when she was sick. I saw at first hand why the reconfiguration did not happen and I witnessed the downgrading of the accident and emergency department in Navan. I saw elderly people waiting for taxis and ambulances in order to be brought to the bigger hospitals at Blanchardstown, Drogheda and Cavan from Navan but when they were halfway there, they were sent back because those facilities were overflowing with people and could not cope. We need an accident and emergency department in Navan. The former HSE boss, who is now retired, should keep his mouth closed. Will the Minister come before the House to discuss what we will do with the accident and emergency department in Navan?