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FUNDING is not currently available to open and staff a major new mental health unit in Killarney, it has emerged. In September, Killarney Advertiser highlighted how members of the Kerry branch of the Psychiatric Nurses' Association were concerned that the brand-new complex was lying idle.

Following a meeting between the Psychiatric Nurses’ Association (PNA) and the area manager for the Health Service Executive South, Sinead Glennon, on Thursday, the Health Service Executive (HSE) informed the PNA that no funding was currently available to open and staff Deer Lodge, a new 40-bed mental health unit at St Margaret’s Road.

The PNA said it was told the funding for Kerry Mental Health Services of €1.65m announced in the 2017 HSE Service Plan would be spent exclusively on renovations works at the acute admission unit, Kerry University Hospital, Tralee. Deer Lodge will replace the current longstay O’Connor Unit on the grounds of St Finan’s Hospital, Killarney.

“Ms Glennon said that HSE South was actively attempting to source funding for the opening of Deer Lodge from the Department of Health and it was hoped funding would be made available in the coming months,” said Cormac Williams, Killarney, of the Kerry branch of the PNA.

“The staffing proposals as were outlined by the HSE for Deer Lodge were rejected as unacceptable by the PNA as the ratio of healthcare assistance to nurses proposed (1 HCAs for every two nurses) was far too high and would not be in keeping with a higher skill, therapeutic, recovery and rehabilitative-based model of care.”

The PNA has also expressed a wish to see new service concepts such as crisis intervention beds made available in the new Deer Lodge complex. “Currently no crisis intervention beds are available within Kerry mental service area,” said Mr Williams.
 

 
Above: Kerry PNA representatives Cormac Williams, Mary Delaney, Pat Murphy, Ruth Adams and Finbarr Murphy outside Deer Lodge in September when they highlighted the fact that the building was lying idle.