Public Meeting to Save Tallaght Hospital: Labour

The Dublin South West Labour Party has organised a public meeting to highlight public fears as to the future of children’s healthcare in Tallaght Hospital. The meeting will take place: 8pm, Monday March 26 Plaza Hotel, Tallaght.

Labour Leader Pat Rabbitte TD said: “For as long as the Government decision of last summer stands, the only future facing Tallaght Children’s Hospital is ‘death by a thousand cuts,’ to quote Prof Ian Graham, Vice Chairman of Tallaght Hospital.

“When in the Dail on February 27 I asked the Taoiseach if there had been any change in the Government’s decision to relocate Crumlin and Tallaght to the Mater site, he replied: ‘The Deputy asked me whether there is a change in the position and I said there is not’.

“No amount of spinning can hide the formal Government decision.

“As the Government scrambles for a face-saving formula to get them past the General Election, the Taoiseach told me in the Dail that ‘there has been no review of the decision of last summer’. This means that the Government is proceeding to build the new hospital on the site of the Mater. This decision involves the relocation of both Tallaght and Crumlin to the North inner city.

“As a result, Tallaght will be left with a casualty station, or Urgent Care Centre, but no beds. It will be little more than a glorified clinic. This centre will care for children only in limited cases and where the length of the stay is less than 24 hours. It will be staffed by consultants and other staff rotating out from the National Children’s Hospital. However consultants say this is unworkable.

“Tallaght will lose its specialised staff and parents will be asked to travel in today’s congested traffic to the northside.

“It is dishonest of Fianna Fail to pretend that the Mater decision can be implemented and that everything remains more or less the same. We need honest answers Government instead of cynical misrepresentation of their own decision. We then need a commonsense solution in the interests of local families.

“This meeting will provide people with an opportunity to express their concerns over the future of health services for their children.”

You're dead, now here's your bill

The Government has announced that elderly patients of long-term nursing homes will be billed both before and after they die. Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney, has set a new scheme for the long term care of the elderly in motion which will commence in January 2008.

Under the scheme, all nursing home patients must contribute towards the cost of their care. According to the RTE website:

"Elderly people will contribute 80% of their disposable income and a charge of up to 15% on the value of their residence will apply, which can be paid after their death.

"Only elderly people assessed to be high dependency will be eligible for nursing home bed support from next year and there will be a cap on the scheme.

"Those who are assessed to be low or medium dependency will be eligible for community care with support through home care packages.

"Ms Harney has described the scheme as fair, accessible, and affordable."

Related links:
- RTE
- Department of Health and Children