O’Sullivan opposes plans to close 16 beds in Mount Carmel Hospital

Cork South West Fianna Fáil TD Christy O’Sullivan will oppose any plans to close 16 beds at Mount Carmel Hospital in Clonakilty. Deputy O’Sullivan will press for the current capacity to be maintained and for other alterations to be made to the hospital to address the space issues.

The hospital has had to turn its eight bed wards into five bed wards, following on from reports by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA). These reports have highlighted the need for more space for personal belongings for the patients, to provide toilets and showers and to allow hoists and other equipment to be installed.

“While the proposed measures will certainly improve the quality of care available for patients in Mount Carmel, we can’t reduce the number of beds available,” said Deputy O’Sullivan. “While the HSE may claim there is no waiting list for the hospital at present, this is not what I’m hearing from families all around the area who are having major difficulty getting a bed for their loved ones.”

“Enormous improvements have been made to Mount Carmel over the years and my hope is that we can find some way of facilitating these changes without decreasing the number of patients being cared for. Those who need a bed want to go to Mount Carmel and I’d hate to see more people having difficulty getting a place when it is needed.”

“I am completely opposed to reducing the numbers of beds in these wards. I would like to see the conditions improved for the patients but this cannot be at the expense of the hospital capacity. That would mean less people would be cared for, which is the last thing we need.”