The Mid-West HSE has confirmed that an agreement has been reached to relocate a rehabilitation ward to a different unit in St Joseph’s Geriatric Hospital, Ennis.

The decision will see Rehabilitation Ward Unit Seven moved to Unit Three by early September.
The authority has stated that all patients in Unit Three will continue to be cared for in St Joseph’s while staff have been reassured there will be no job losses arising from this change.
Deputy Pat Breen and Deputy Joe Carey have both tabled Dáil questions in recent weeks about the provision of services and beds at the facility.
Deputy Breen said that a state-of-the-art dementia unit was lying idle in St Joseph’s because of a staffing shortage in the Clare Mental Health Service.
Since 2009, Deputy Pat Breen has claimed over 40 nurses have retired or left the service and have not been replaced resulting in a dramatic reduction in the Clare Mental Health Service workforce from 207 to 158.
Deputy Carey said Clare people couldn’t afford to lose any more public long stay specialist beds in St Joseph’s Hospital.
“The bed numbers in St Joseph’s have declined sharply in recent years. Should Unit Three close, it would be another huge blow to the health infrastructure of the county.
“This proposed amalgamation to reduce long-stay public beds is being made at a time when vital home-care packages are harder and harder to secure and when hours for home help are being restricted due to budgetary concerns.We cannot afford to lose these beds in St Joseph’s.
“The bed complement in St Josephs is 166, these are vital long stay public beds. Elderly patients in Clare are now being channeled into private nursing homes. We are in effect outsourcing our health service to the private sector.
“Every time this Government makes a cut the first target seems to be the most vulnerable in society. It’s time our cabinet minister in Clare earned his crust and a good start would be to keep Unit Three in St Joseph’s Hospital open,” he said.
A HSE spokeswoman said that the Dementia Unit in St Joseph’s was not yet commissioned and the HSE didn’t have an opening date as there were issues around staffing, which have to be resolved.
“Patients accessing beds in St Joseph’s are provided with a range of services including rehabilitation (22 beds), respite care (12 beds), assessment (24 beds), community response (two beds) and extended care (106 beds).
“Management have been engaged in on-going discussions with staff and their representatives to ensure that we provide the best and most cost effective quality of care,” she said.