Ireland is no place to be elderly or young

[Andrew49]

It seems there's no end to the horrors inflicted on vulnerable people on this island. Hypothermia fear in nursing home With a robust inspection system we are, seemingly, taking action when required but how do we prevent the horrors in the first place? It can't be a peculiarly Irish thing that vulnerable communities are constantly abused as these kinds of horrors happen in other countries.

But Ireland does have a history of heaping horrors on helpless communities, from the Magdalene asylums through to the Industrial schools, hospitals, Ferns, Dublin diocese....

[Seán Ryan]

The only way to fix it is to start anew!

Shortage of doctors may force closure of A&E at Limerick Regional Hospital

[Holly]

People emigrated en masse from the poverty, religiosity, and intellectual stultification in the past and will continue to do so in the future until the culture changes.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

I notice that Lipsett woman who had her nursing home for elderly people closed down now claims that the abuses that were reported there are just because she has three well-known daughters.

Pick the logic out of that. She also alleges that an abusive staff member who failed to turn up at a registration disciplinary hearing should be assumed innocent of abuse charges- mainly because he didn't turn up.

This sort of thing seems to happen quite a bit in the medical and nursing profession where someone facing being struck off simply doesn't turn up so that no record can be made of a hearing- they are then apparently free to continue practising outside Ireland so this guy could well turn up at a nursing home in Northern Ireland for example with no registration problems.

One of the doctors in the Baby P case in London was too distressed apparently to turn up to a General Medical Council hearing yet was somehow able to arrange to leave the country.

There again she may be unable to practise in the UK but as long as she isn't struck off because of her non-appearance she can still practise as a doctor abroad.

Something wrong with this system.

[Andrew49]

It's 'reassuring' that Michael Walsh, spokesman for the HSE Mid West, says the issue of the recruitment of non-consultant hospital doctors [is] is being dealt with at a national level.

“The public can be assured that the issue is receiving attention at the highest levels,”

And I know that this Government has only held office for about three months but you'd think in 100 days we'd see some change! Oh, we've had plenty of smiles and waffles but no signs that this government is any different than the previous government.



And if this government wants to reach the 'highest level' it'll have to stop taxiing on the runway and bloody well take-off!

[C. Flower]

It seems there's no end to the horrors inflicted on vulnerable people on this island. Hypothermia fear in nursing home With a robust inspection system we are, seemingly, taking action when required but how do we prevent the horrors in the first place? It can't be a peculiarly Irish thing that vulnerable communities are constantly abused as these kinds of horrors happen in other countries.

But Ireland does have a history of heaping horrors on helpless communities, from the Magdalene asylums through to the Industrial schools, hospitals, Ferns, Dublin diocese....

I don't have a figure here but I read last year that in Ireland we spend substantially less than the average per capita on nursing home care residents in Ireland. That being the case, it is inevitable that there will be problems.

We also have a very low level of regulation of care and health facilities - unregulated private hospitals for heavens sake. That situation has been improving in the last few years and at least now there are inspections of nursing homes being made that seem to have actual consequences.

[Slim Buddha]

I don't have a figure here but I read last year that in Ireland we spend substantially less than the average per capita on nursing home care residents in Ireland. That being the case, it is inevitable that there will be problems.

We also have a very low level of regulation of care and health facilities - unregulated private hospitals for heavens sake. That situation has been improving in the last few years and at least now there are inspections of nursing homes being made that seem to have actual consequences.

You are right but even if there was greater regulation of this sector, it would exist merely on paper. Ireland has an enormous problem with actually enforcing its own laws and this culture of non-enforcement is beginning to get noticed outside Ireland.


But a Fianna Fail TD has just been made Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee so this culture will continue, it seems.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Unfortunately all the signals are from this current government that it is business as usual in Ireland.

The party livery has changed but essentially Fine Gael have already started to slide down the Fianna Fail route with jesuitical political language, nepotistic and crony appointments and of course the Labour Party have delivered the new Green Party coalition stick.

To be honest I've been meaning to take a look at connections between the Greens and the Labour Party particularly in the background of some of the senior figures but from what I've seen so far we are about to have a re-run of Fianna Fail/Greens.

Any feeble pawings towards reform are simply for the optics and an attempt to extend the current coalition's honeymoon period as far as I can see.

Most senior Irish politicians see themselves as managers of the current system and not reformers in any way shape or form.

I'd rather see a default now on the financial side and the site rules prevent me from saying what else I'd like to see in Ireland. Suffice to say there isn't a hope in hell of me supporting the current gombeen system and I'd much rather not waste any energy on a failed and fake system of government.

I hope Greece does default, along with Portugal and then Ireland. Stuff this 'debt sustainability' borrocks and stuff the existing system in Ireland. If radical change is needed then so are radical politics.

Enda Kenny is nothing more than any kind of HSE bureaucrat. Gilmore should be out of a job already for his blatant lying in public over Lisbon II.

[TotalMayhem]

The only way to fix it is to start anew!

Shortage of doctors may force closure of A&E at Limerick Regional Hospital

Ah, all is going to be well at Limerick's Mid-Western Regional... finally a good news story.

Private firm to take charge of Limerick Regional hospital

The Mid-Western Regional hospital in Dooradoyle is set to be handed over to a private company to take charge of its struggling operations and finances.

The Minister for Health, James Reilly, has confirmed that the Limerick hospital, along with University Hospital Galway and smaller hospitals under the HSE West, will come under new management for 18 months in a radical shake-up of the health system.

Five companies are in the running for the contract, and the successful company will report to the HSE, following the tender process, the Minister said.

One Irish company and four UK companies are in the running for the tender for the hospitals, which is expected to concludes at the end of this week.

Speaking on Galway Bay FM, Minister Reilly said in Limerick there is no CEO in charge of the hospital, nor is there a chief operations officer or a chief financial officer.

“This isn’t seen as taking anyone’s jobs. There’s no one in these jobs for a start and we’re providing training to individuals to upskill, who could come into those jobs,” said the Minister.

He said no-one should feel “threatened” by the announcement, as it’s “a good news story”

[concernedparent]

Ah, all is going to be well at Limerick's Mid-Western Regional... finally a good news story.

Private firm to take charge of Limerick Regional hospital

Well that's one way of dealing with it.

Don't fill the vacant posts and maintain that the place is not running efficiently and then put a private company in to run it.

What's the betting it won't be an Irish company that wins the tender. I wonder if the result is already known.

[TotalMayhem]

A decision made in the wake of the EU, IMF and ECB troika shining the spotlight on the “sheltered” medical industry for still being too expensive.

[concernedparent]

A decision made in the wake of the EU, IMF and ECB troika shining the spotlight on the “sheltered” medical industry for still being too expensive.

The trouble is that the care system in England is diabolical. Not that ours is much better.

Care Homes are constructed(thrown up) with the cheapest materials used and the most expensive prices charged.

The word 'care' is a euphemism. The Home will decide whether it wants you as a resident. Any person whose care needs are deemed too 'difficult' are not accepted. So where are these poor unfortunates to go. They become a burden on the state. A relative of mine was unfortunate enough to end up in a hospital over there and unable to feed herself.

Oh there were ructions because the staff couldn't be bothered to feed her. And were basically indifferent to her plight.

She was lucky. My sister raised the issue with the medical staff and thing improved. But what if she had no one to speak up for her.

What happens then? Is it death by indifference.