Concern over plan to move Tipp's community health services

The Minister for Health has been asked to redress an “ill-thought-out” plan to move community health services in North Tipperary under Limerick management.

A Portroe resident has written to Minister Stephen Donnelly along with Tipperary's five TDs to criticise the plan, which arises from a reduction in community care networks in the region from 11 to eight. The HSE said a new primary care will be provided in Ballina, which will cater for people in Portroe, who will not have to travel to Limerick to avail of services.

But Deputy Michael Lowry has described the move as “an insult” to the people of North Tipperary and one that is not acceptable for a population of such size.

The northern half of the county presently has two Community Areas, one in Thurles and one in Nenagh, which oversee provision of services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, home help, community doctors, community nursing, weekend health services, speech and language therapy, counselling services, and podiatry.

The Portroe letter writer expressed “great sadness and dismay” over the moving of management of these services to Limerick. Minister Donnelly was told: “We here in North Tipperary are acutely aware of the under-handed manner with which [successive Governments] have continuously downgraded the health services in North Tipperary, from the closure of the Emergency Department at University Hospital Nenagh to the ‘temporary’ amalgamation of the head of North Tipperary Community Nursing 10 years ago, which has never been re-instated, and the ‘temporary’ amalgamation of the North Tipperary manager of physiotherapy services around 10 years ago with Limerick, and again which has never been reinstated. This constant downgrading of the health services for the people of North Tipperary is having a detrimental impact on their personal health and mental health, notwithstanding the financial implications for people on accessing these essential community services.”

Deputy Lowry said he has contacted the minister and HSE over the issues raised in the letter. He noted the writer's assertion that “service users” had not been consulted about the plan, and call for the two teams in Nenagh and Thurles to be maintained.

In a statement on the matter, the HSE said the Ballina/Kilalloe/Newport Primary Care Team - which also provides services to the Portroe population - is one of four Primary Care Teams in the East Limerick/North Tipperary Network.

“People from the Portroe area are facilitated to attend appointments in the Derg Centre in Nenagh where the required facilities are not available in their local health centre,” the statement reads. “Under the development of the Primary Care Centres, a new Primary Care Centre will be provided in Ballina, which will facilitate all services for the people within that Primary Care Team.

“The spread of the Ballina/Killaloe/Newport Primary Care team is wide and therapy staff are located in different bases.

“Services are flexible to accommodate service users and accessing services is not limited to one specific Primary Care Centre.

“The realignment of services from 11 to eight networks was undertaken a number of years ago for the allied health professional services. The Director of Public Health Nursing has commenced discussions with the Assistant Directors of Public Health Nursing in the area regarding the realignment of PHN services from 11 networks to eight networks, as is the organisational arrangement for the AHP services.

“Services will be provided as near as possible to the service users’ homes and flexibility as to the locations for service provision will be applied as required.

“Should any service users have concerns regarding the location for service provision they should discuss it with the relevant clinician, and if this does not lead to a satisfactory outcome, they should make contact with the relevant service manager. Should a staff member have concerns in relation to the location of services, we would suggest that the staff member should raise their concerns with their line manager.

“At this point there are no changes planned which will require Portroe residents having to travel to Castletroy for services.”