Concerns expressed for Clifden hospital’s future

County Councillors Gerry King (FF) and Eileen Mannion (FG) and Galway senator Seán Kyne (FG) had an ‘honest and frank’ meeting about the future of Clifden Hospital last Friday with HSE staff, including Breda Crehan Roche Chief Officer, HSE Community Healthcare West.

The politicians relayed the fears of staff and the community that the facility would close before a new hospital was built.

And while the HSE indicated it had no plans to close the hospital, the HSE delegation could not give a ‘cast-iron’ assurance that it would remain open until the new 40-bed unit was opened.

Cllr King said that there was a ‘big fear’ that Clifden Hospital will close before the HSE builds a new 40-bed unit on the site of the existing St Anne’s Nursing Home.

The building was first mooted in 2014 and is contained in the current HSE Capital plan. It is currently at design stage.

“The fear is that this hospital could close down. There has been a decline in staff numbers, because retired staff haven’t been replaced. And there has been a decline in patient numbers. Two years of Covid put everything upside down but there is a genuine fear that it will close.

“There is a new facility being built at St Anne’s Nursing Home and that has just been cleared for design stage. But there is probably a two- or three-year gap before that is up and running and the fear is Clifden Hospital won’t remain open until that’s up and running,” Cllr Gerry King said.

If the facility does close that would mean there would be no respite or convalescence in Clifden until the new facility opened. Already the service has been reduced because there is no in-house physiotherapist, which means patients at UHG are not using it as a step-down if they need occupational therapy or physiotherapy.

“It is definitely a loss or a downgrading of service,” he said.

The HSE is funded to have twelve beds this year. In its prime Clifden Hospital had 33 beds. Currently there are just six patients in Clifden Hospital although the HSE at last Friday’s meeting said that would double to twelve in July.

“Overall I was happy with the meeting. The HSE gave no cast-iron assurances that it wouldn’t close but it was a positive and frank discussion. It was one of the more straight-talking meetings I’ve attended. They couldn’t give 100% assurances but they did say they would do their utmost to keep it open. It was good that they visited the hospital,” said Cllr King.

The HSE told the meeting last week that they are having difficulty recruiting staff across the West in many sectors.

In a written response to Cllr King’s ‘grave fears’ that Clifden Hospital would be closed, Ms Crehan Roche said: “Services are provided to meet demand however there must be appropriate staff and associated facilities to provide required services.”

Cllr King welcomed the reopening of a day centre on the same site as the hospital, which now has a second bus, and caters for people right across Connemara including Letterfrack, Cashel, Roundstone and Clifden.

Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív (FF) could not attend the meeting.