HSE confirms phased closure of Ballinasloe unit shortly
Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Health Service Executive has confirmed that the phased closure of the 22-bed acute psychiatric unit in Ballinasloe will be begin on Monday week, January 20th.
It'll entail the transfer of 5 acute beds from Ballinasloe to the existing psychiatric unit at University Hospital Galway.
This means there will then be 40 acute beds at UHG and 17 left in Ballinasloe.
Phase two of the plan will include the closure of another 5 beds in Ballinasloe to be transferred to UHG, but no date has been set for this transfer by the HSE yet.
The HSE says that the existing unit in the city is registered to operate at a higher bed number so there is no issue with capacity.
In a statement to Galway Bay fm News, the HSE says that services will be enhanced with the addition of Deliberate Self Harm nurses in Galway and Roscommon.
A new service will also be introduced with a Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse who will assess patients in GP surgeries.
However Independent County Councillor Tim Broderick believes it's not practical to transfer the beds from Ballinasloe to Galway.
Independent City Councillor Catherine Connolly says that UHG is already overcrowded at the Newcastle site.