Campaign for respite beds at Mayo facility is escalated

A Mayo Oireachtas member is spearheading a campaign for the provision of respite beds at the Sacred Heart Hospital, Castlebar.

Senator Paddy Burke wants Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to take urgent action on the matter.

He elaborated: "The Sacred Heart Hospital, Castlebar, was renovated in the past ten years.

"St. Joseph's Ward, where the respite beds are, was renovated during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"There is a respite bed and a rehabilitation bed in St. Joseph's Ward. Prior to Covid-19, there were two respite beds at the Sacred Heart Hospital in St. Joseph's Ward.

"There is plenty of room in the ward for many extra beds.

"In our district hospital in Swinford, which is 16 or 17 miles away, there are nine respite beds.

"We are all aware that Castlebar is one of the largest towns in Connacht, but there is not great public transport between Castlebar and Swinford.

"One bed is not adequate for the requirements of the large population in the large hinterland around the country town of Castlebar.

"I urge the minister to look into this matter very seriously.

"There is a lot of agitation locally for the provision of an extra bed or an extra two or three beds because the space is there and it can be done quite cheaply.

"We all know the work carers do. I have seen it at first hand. My mother lived to a great age; she lived at home until she was in her 96th year.

"We could not have looked after her had it not been for the carers. There are so many families like that now.

"They are saving the State so much money by looking after people at home. Some family members who are looking after a loved one will require respite.

"The biggest problem is the inadequate number of beds. Cancellations also cause hardship.

"A pensioner who is acting as a carer only gets a half-rate carer's allowance, which is not very fair.

"The only thing that changes between being 65 years of age yesterday and 66 years of age today is that a person loses half the carer's allowance. I

"I ask the minister and the government to look at this.

"We had an unsuccessful referendum earlier this year. Here, we have a situation in which people who are caring for loved ones in a full-time capacity and who reach pension age only get a half-rate carer's allowance.

"They paid for their pension. This is most unfair to those people.

"The provision of an extra bed or two at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar is badly needed to serve the local needs of a big, populated area in the hinterland of Castlebar."

In response, Minister of State Mary Butler stated: "The Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar is registered with HIQA for the provision of 74 long-term beds. The hospital also has 26 rehabilitation beds.

"These beds offer an extremely important service as we seek to maximise the functional capacity of older people so that they can return home following a stay in an acute hospital.

"Sacred Heart Hospital also provides a respite bed to allow family carers in the community a welcome break. This bed is currently occupied. This bed offers additional assistance to families and carers in Castlebar to help alleviate the ongoing stress associated with providing care.

"The are currently a total of 37 respite beds in HSE Community Healthcare West, of which 14 are available in County Mayo.

"Increasing the respite bed numbers in Sacred Heart Hospital would require a reduction in the number of long-stay or rehabilitation beds in the facility.

"Unfortunately, the HSE has advised that this is not currently an option as the demand for these other beds, that is, the long-stay beds and the rehabilitation beds, is too high.

"The HSE has assured me that if any emergency respite applications are made in Castlebar, every effort will be made to accommodate the person in either the Sacred Heart Hospital or the closest available bed in the county.

"The HSE will also review the provision of respite beds in County Mayo with a view to exploring the option of providing an additional respite bed in Westport, which is the closest location to Castlebar.

"Regarding the Sacred Heart Hospital in Castlebar, bed management comes under the remit of the HSE. There are 74 long-term-care beds. These would be for people on the fair deal scheme. The hospital also has 26 rehabilitation beds.

"These are very important for people who leave an acute hospital setting and who need rehabilitation before they are able to go back to their communities.

"The hospital also has one carer's bed specifically for carers. I have been told there is not currently an option to reduce the number of long-stay beds to put in a second respite bed. However, I welcome the fact the provision of respite beds is being reviewed in County Mayo at the moment.

Senator Paddy Burke said the response will not go down that well with the population in Castlebar.

"It seems the HSE will provide a bed anywhere except in Castlebar, which is the county town and which has a huge hinterland and a big population. All the routes lead in to Castlebar.

"It is much easier for people to visit a relative or a loved one in Castlebar. To be quite honest, I am very disappointed with the response.

"I had hoped the Minister of State would have had some good news but there is no good news here.

"An extra respite bed may be provided in Westport, which is nearly ten miles away and not much further than Swinford. This will be greeted with great disappointment in the locality."

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