The general secretary of the Psychiatric Nurses Association Peter Hughes, has said it was “inconceivable” that at a time when demand for mental health services was increasing that the HSE was closing services.
This would have serious consequences for patients, families and the wider community, he warned.
Mr Hughes was commenting on the planned closure next week of a unit at St James Hospital. He told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the 16 bed unit was for a catchment area of 134,000.
“We think this is a very serious and worrying development because previous practice over time when there were staff shortages was the curtailment of services. But here we're seeing the actual closure of services.
"I think it's inconceivable that when the demand for mental health services is increasing that instead of expanding and developing services they are closing services, which is going to have serious consequences for patients, families and the wider community.”
Mr Hughes pointed out that a survey by the PNA last year that there were 700 vacancies for staff and there was no indication that the situation was going to improve.
“We do have a situation in May last year where almost 50 percent of the beds in child and adolescent units in Lynn Dara in Cherry Orchard closed. We were promised they would reopen in September, we are now 15 months later. And there is no prospect, no prospect whatsoever at this stage of those bed reopening.”
Mr Hughes added that at present there are only 43 CAMHS beds operational in the country.
“It's totally inexcusable. It's not acceptable. And it's been an ongoing crisis, which we have been highlighting at Department of Health level for many years now. But there has been a complacency in addressing the issue.
"They need to look at innovative ways to address the crisis. They need to look at it from a short term, immediate, medium term and a long term to address these issues and deal with it as a crisis. It is not being dealt with as a crisis.”
There needed to be a targeted recruitment campaign to compete with the private sector and with overseas recruiters particularly in Australia and Canada.
