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O’ROURKE PRESSES FOR FUNDING FOR THE ABBEY COMMUNITY PROJECT

Frank O’Rourke TD has met with Minister Catherine Byrne to press the Government for funding for mental health and addiction services in Celbridge.

Frank is seeking the funding for the local Abbey Community Project, as the demand for their services have increased dramatically.

Frank explained, “I met with the Board of the Abbey Community to discuss the requirement for funding for 2019. We had secured some additional funding towards the end of 2018. An extensive proposal for funding has now been submitted to the Department for their consideration, a proposal that I fully support and is much needed.”

“The Abbey Community Project is providing a very valuable service for the people of North Kildare. It started off as an addiction service and is now providing a much needed mental health service with dual diagnosis.”

“The Abbey Community Project opened in 2007, the staff is very passionate about the services that they provide through the Project. I know that through the Project’s valuable work, lives are being saved”

 “Given that the state is referring people to the Abbey Project in Celbridge, it is only right that state funding be provided to the Project. The reality is if the Abbey Community Project didn’t exist or closed its doors tomorrow, the state agencies wouldn’t be able to deal with the high demand for the services.”

“There are currently over 80 patients in Kildare that are travelling to Dublin to avail of drug treatment services and I am pursuing the urgent need for a drug treatment facility in north Kildare.”

“I raised this issue in the Dáil with the Taoiseach and I was subsequently contacted by the Minister of State for Communities and the National Drugs Strategy Catherine Byrne TD , who provided me with an update on the situation.”

“The provision of treatment services in Kildare has been identified as a priority by both the Government and the HSE. It is now time that the state financially supports the Abbey Community Project. A new National Drugs Strategy is expected to be published later this year and I will be keeping the pressure on to ensure Kildare gets adequate drug treatment services,”

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LAWLESS WELCOMES PROGRESS ON HOSPITAL EXTENSION

James Lawless has welcomed news that essential funding has been provided for an extension to Naas Hospital

The HSE Capital Plan 2019 recently allocated funding to the long awaited extension of Naas Hospital. The new endoscopy, day procedures and oncology units can now progress to the design stage of the process.

James commented, “This summer the County Council extended the planning permission for this extension, which was originally granted in 2014, and it is good to see that concrete funding has finally been allocated to this much needed project. I have raised this matter over the past few years with the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, and I will continue to follow up on this issue and ask that the extension proceed as quickly as possible following the 5 year delay.”

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LAWLESS URGES EXPANSION OF NAAS HOSPITAL TO BE PRIORITISED

His comments come as Kildare County Council announce that it has decided to allow the HSE to extend the planning permission for a significant extension of Naas General Hospital. 

The extension would include a new endoscopy/day services unit as well as Physical medicine and oncology departments. 

James commented, “The extension of planning is welcome. However it also serves to highlight the HSE have stalled on this project since the original planning was granted in 2014. The endoscopy unit in particular is badly needed, I have visited the hospital to inspect existing facilities and I have raised this on the floor of the Dail with Minister Simon Harris. Whilst the planning is key and I welcome this decision, it is imperative that the HSE now press ahead with funding and concrete plans to develop this needed extension.”

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LAWLESS CRITICISES MENTAL HEALTH WAITING LISTS

James Lawless TD has criticised the amount of time it can take for a patient to access Mental Health Services in Kildare

James made the comments after his Parliamentary Question on the mean time a patient might wait for a Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) appointment was found to be 3 to 6 months for a non urgent routine appointment. Continue reading “LAWLESS CRITICISES MENTAL HEALTH WAITING LISTS”

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O’ROURKE SLAMS INCREASE IN NAAS WAITING LISTS UNDER HARRIS’ WATCH

Frank O’Rourke has said Simon Harris’s tenure as Minister for Health has been marred by outpatient lists he simply cannot get to grips with.

Deputy O’Rourke was commenting as figures revealed that there has been a sharp increase in the number of patients languishing on outpatient waiting lists at Naas General Hospital since Minister Harris took up office.

                                     Frank O’Rourke

Deputy O’Rourke explained, “In May 2016 when Simon Harris became Minister for Health there were 839 people waiting greater than 12 months for an outpatient appointment at Naas General Hospital. In February 2019 this number stood at 2,989, representing a 256% increase. Nationally, there are now 541,899 people waiting for an appointment with a consultant. That’s almost equal to the population of Connacht at around 550,000. When the numbers waiting for an appointment is set to surpass the population of a province surely it’s time for the Minister to take action. This is clearly a crisis yet we see very little appetite from Minister Harris to tackle these astonishingly bad figures. Having had first-hand experience of the consultants and staff in Naas General Hospital – I know they are doing their very best under challenging circumstances. They deserve more help from the Minister”, concluded Deputy O’Rourke.