County Infirmary services being reduced ahead of new unit's opening

The Health Service Executive (HSE) confirmed reports yesterday (Tuesday) that it is about to reduce the provision of services at the old County Infirmary in Navan. The reports circulated among staff yesterday was that the unit, which caters for 70-80 patients at a time, was to be wound down pending the opening of a new €10 million Navan Community Nursing Unit in the grounds of Our Lady's Hospital, which is due to open this autumn. Staff at the infirmary said they had been told that the unit would not stand up to an inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). The HSE said that it was examining options to reduce service provision at the infirmary site. "This will allow us to release staff for training and induction towards commissioning of the new unit which is due to open in the autumn," a spokesperson said. It said there would be no reduction in service delivery. The HSE added that it had not been informed of any pending HIQA inspection and denied that its options for the infirmary were in any way linked to any HIQA visit. The HSE came under strong criticism from the Mayor of Navan, Cllr Joe Reilly, who said that but for the fact that he had been told by staff about the HSE's moves, the health authority would have "hidden all of this". He said the first priority was the patients in the infirmary and their families. "The HSE needs to inform fully the patients and families about future plans for the full provision of services. Once again, the HSE has shown itself to be inefficient in the way that it has handled this matter. Everybody welcomes the opening of the new unit in the autumn but why were the patients and their families not informed fully about the HSE plans for the infirmary? "I am asking whether the HSE is closing the infirmary down now, gradually closing it, or waiting until the autumn to carry out a full transfer of services. Let us have the facts now," he demanded. Last November, it was stated that work on the new Navan Community Nursing Unit was due to completion in March this year. The new unit is to consist of 50 residential beds, including 17 respite care beds with the remaining 33 beds facilitating rehabilitation, assessment and review and long-term care with access to palliative care services. It was also intended that the unit would extend a range of day care services to both psychiatric and elderly clients. Work on the €10 million health facility started earlier in 2009. The current County Infirmary on the Fair Green houses residents on the ground floor, mainly for respite care. The infirmary caters for people from all over the county and is often used to take pressure off St Joseph's Hospital in Trim.