Health Minister must intervene as Cregg House crisis deepens – FF

Fianna Fáil has called on the Minister for Health James Reilly to keep his promise and immediately intervene to secure the future of Cregg House in Sligo.

According to Local Senator Marc Mac Sharry, the HSE’s decision to take high court action against the service providers, the Daughters of Wisdom, is a grave development.

“I raised my concerns about the worsening situation at Cregg House with the Health Minister last month and he agreed to my request for government intervention.  That was three weeks ago and the situation has deteriorated rapidly since then.  And we have still heard nothing from the Minister,” said Senator Mac Sharry.

“The patients and staff at Cregg House cannot afford to wait in a state of perpetual uncertainty while Minister Reilly and his officials drag their heels on this issue.  The HSE’s heavy-handed approach after it failed to find an alternative service provider is unacceptable.  The hostility of the negotiations and the uncertainty this has created has been extremely stressful for patients, their families and to staff who are attempting to keep the doors of Cregg House open.

“People need some certainty that the future of Cregg House is secure. The Minister must come out immediately and explain what exactly is going on here and address the genuine concerns of Cregg House patients and their families.  I am also urging the Minister to immediately publish a cost-comparison report, which allegedly shows that the cost of the Daughters of Wisdom’s Cregg House is considerably less than the cost of the HSE-run Cloonmahon.”