Sucess for the the campaign to save respite care at Cherry Orchard Hospital

dublin | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday July 14, 2009 15:26 by PBPA - People Before Profit Alliance press at peoplebeforeprofit dot ie 0879090166

Proof that People Power can make a difference!

People Before Profit Councillor Brid Smith and patients’ families learned today from the HSE in Cherryorchard Hospital that the controversial decision to close the Beech Unit has been reversed. The Beech Unit will remain open for the foreseeable future. This has been the result of a magnificent campaign by the families who care for the patients and the local community

Cllr Brid Smith (PBPA) speaking at protest at HSE over the cuts

However, there will be some beds closing for the summer months and the decision on how many beds and in what units the closures will take place, will not be made until early next week.

The families whose loved ones receive respite care in the Beech unit at the hospital are delighted with the news. Their loved ones will not be disrupted or moved and will remain in Cherryorchard respite care. The Campaign to save Respite Services in Cherryorchard Hospital has achieved some success in pressuring the HSE to change their approach to the respite care. The HSE have reassured us that all patients involved will receive a service and disruption to patients and their families will be kept at a minimum.

But our campaign will continue to fight for every bed in Cherryorchard Hospital to be kept open by employing the necessary nursing staff instead of putting patients out to private nursing homes. Despite several requests to David Walsh, spokesperson of the HSE who promised to give us the costings of employing nursing staff as against paying for private nursing home beds, we still have no answers.

We are meeting tonight with the families to decide on how to go forward with our campaign. We will not leave any patient or their family without a satisfactory outcome. So far we have shown that it is possible through “people power” to make a difference. We have held pickets outside the hospital, a protest march through Ballyfermot and have picketed and occupied HSE headquarters in Dr. Stevens Hospital and have highlighted the case on the local and national media.

We will continue to keep the pressure on the HSE in Cherryorchard to maintain the wonderful and essential services to our elderly citizens. These people, most of whom suffer with dementia or alzheimers, cannot speak for themselves but their stories have touched all of us.

Well done to everyone involved.