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30th April 2013 • Volume 20, Issue 16 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • Tel: 8•400•200 • info@northcountyleader.ie Dr. Murray confirmed that the HSE asked the landlord why he was willing to waste his money on such a project. “It appears they were willing to let the lease run it’s course until 2015, while paying for a vacant building. “Why could they not have left us there until then, at least,” pleaded a bemused Dr Murray. He continued, “We have nurses treating patients here in Swords, who worked in Curam and are now based in Balbriggan, so a nurse who County Leader is doing a home visit in Swords now has to drive By Patrick Finnegan from Balbriggan. The staff Centre, we had a day hospital where patients could go no longer have offices where in the daytime. They are part of the same team, but are they can see a patient for two separate elements to the service. This arrangement counselling or therapy. Now worked very well. Now everyone is shoe horned into they have to look for rooms one smaller location. I just can’t make any sense of it,” and there simply isn’t enough he said. Worst of all, the HSE did not have the decency space to complete our work to inform patients of the closure of Curam. “Many of as before.” Local senator them found out from a shopkeeper in the area, who was Darragh O’Brien (FF) was able to tell them of the closure. This is no way to treat horrified at the way the HSE is the most vulnerable people in our society.” treating it’s patients. He told A spokesperson for the HSE told the County Leader, the County Leader, that he “Patients were not notified in advance because this was has demanded a special Dr Declan Murray an unplanned closure.” Dr. Murray thought he had debate in the Seanad on a developing crisis in adult found a solution to the problem. “While I was on my mental health services across north Dublin. “The situaway to a meeting in St Ita’s, I got a call from the landlord tion in north Dublin is at crisis point. I have met Dr. to say that he would pay for the fire upgrade. To me, Declan Murray and his team at Curam twice. They are that would have solved the problem once and for all. providing essential services to more than 500 patients The HSE manager washed his hands of the problem and in the north Dublin area, but they are not being given said it was a matter for HSE Estates, who manage the the tools to do their job.” buildings.”
HSE Slammed The decision by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to move Curam Adult Mental Health Clinic from it’s base at Town Mall in Swords to the nearby Health Centre on Bridge Street in the town, has mystified and angered staff. Curam, which catered for the adult mental health requirements for Swords, has now been relocated to what has been descibed as “a vastly inferior facility in Swords Health Centre.” The reason given by the HSE for the closure was that the Town Mall premises constituted a fire hazard. However, when the landlord offered to fix the problem free of charge, the HSE would have nothing to do with it. Speaking exclusively to the County Leader, Curam’s consultant psychiatrist, Dr. Declan Murray, was outraged at the decision, which he claims has seriously impacted on him and his team being able to provide a proper service for people with mental health issues. “There is no way we can provide for the needs of our clients in the same way as before. We cater for a catchment area of 78,000 people, the largest in the country, by far.” “At Curam clinic, we had regular out-patients and a home care team who would go and visit people in their homes and in Swords Health
EXCLUSIVE
Coyle To Retire After 19 Years Serving Community After 19 years serving the local By Jennifer McShane community, local councillor Peter else have a go.” Cllr Coyle, who Coyle (Lab), has told the County was co-opted to the County Leader that he will not be running Council in 1994, has a vast and in next year’s local elections. extremely varied political career: in The well known local representa1999, he was elected as a tive, who currently serves member of the Council the Malahide/Howth after topping the poll in Ward says that there was the Malahide Ward, from no particular reason that 2002 to 2003 he was he is choosing to retire Chairperson for the from his council duties Malahide/Howth Area other than his feeling that Committee, then in June it was simply time to 2004 to June 2005 he was move on and “let others Cathaoirleach of the have a go.” Cllr. Peter Coyle Council (something he He said: “There’s always describes as a career highlight), a time to move on and I just felt and in June 2010 he was elected that now was right. I don’t have Leas Cathaoirleach. any health issues or anything like Coyle is keen to emphasise that he that, I just thought that after 19 will still be available to the public years, it was best to let someone
with any queries they may have, once his current term in office is finished. “There’s been a lot of many great moments through the years and one thing that still stands is that I’ve always loved helping people, so I’ll still be there after my term if anyone has any personal queries.” “I’ve never thought it wise to linger too long in politics,” he continued. “I’ll be kept going as I’ve three grandchildren to keep me busy and I’ll still be purusing many other activities.” After 19 years serving the local community, Cllr Coyle will no doubt be missed, but it will comfort local residents to know that he is still as active as ever and will continue to serve his area until May 2014, at the very least.
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The Health Centre in Swords, where staff from Curam are crammed into a small section.
He continued, “There is insufficient space to hold a day-care centre. I raised this directly with the Health Minister in the Seanad as an example of what is happening to our adult mental health services under his leadership,” he said. “If this Government is serious about tackling mental health, we should not only fund our adult mental health services appropriately, but ensure that our patients, such as those served by Curam, have the proper facilities to be treated with dignity and respect. These are specific examples which, five months ago, Minister Reilly stated he would look into, but there has been no response from him. His silence on this is not acceptable,” he concluded. Sen. O’Brien