County-wide palliative care services to be restored to Wicklow on Monday
Posted August 10th, 2012 in Dáil Work, Health, Local Work, News
Wicklow TD receives confirmation that palliative care services will be restored throughout all of County Wicklow on Monday, 13th August but calls for vacant posts to be filled urgently to prevent situation occuring again
Wicklow Fine Gael TD, Simon Harris has received confirmation from the HSE that palliative care services will be restored throughout all parts of County Wicklow from next Monday, 13th August.
Deputy Harris had made several representations to the HSE and to the Minister for Health arguing that a decision taken unilaterally by the HSE to suspend palliative care services in North Wicklow was “completely unacceptable, absolutely reckless and a contravention of Government policy.”
Speaking after receiving the news that the HSE will now restore services county-wide, Deputy Harris said, “I am pleased that palliative care services will be restored throughout County Wicklow from next Monday. This will come as a relief to many families who may find themselves reliant on these services. However, we cannot overlook the fact that the HSE made the decision to temporarily suspend services in North Wicklow due to their own failure to plan and to fill vital nursing vacancies.”
“We cannot have a situation where a palliative care service is suspended due to nursing shortages. There is no Government recruitment embargo in place for such important, frontline positions. The HSE held interviews for a Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Wicklow palliative care service back in March yet they have delayed appointing someone to this vacancy. This is simply not on. I have conveyed this in the strongest possible terms to the HSE and I have also informed the Minister for Health of this irresponsible behaviour by the HSE at a national level,” stated Deputy Harris.
“I have now been assured that the HSE expects extra nursing resources for the County Wicklow palliative care service to be in place very shortly and I will be actively pursuing this matter this happens,” concluded Deputy Harris.
10/08/2012