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Bridget O'Neill takes part in today's protest against the Abbeyleix unit closure. Brenda Fingleton

Thousands turn out to protest Abbeyleix nursing unit closure

One of the organisers of today’s protest says the patients are “very happy” to see the level of support shown by the local community against the closure.

Updated at 8.35pm

UP TO 6,000 PEOPLE turned out to a protest march in Abbeyleix, Co Laois today against the closure of a nursing unit in the town.

The HSE said earlier this month that it planned to close the Abbeyleix Community Nursing Unit over concerns it could not ensure a safe service would be delivered to the unit’s residents due to its reduced budget and lower staff levels.

The health service said it would close the facility on a phased basis and that its 28 long-term residents would be moved to alternative locations in the surrounding area, while staff based at the Abbeyleix unit will be redeployed to other services in the area.

Karen Shiel secretary of the Abbeyleix and District Hospital Action Group which organised today’s protest said the march was supported by a number of local organisations and community groups, and that patients have been heartened by the level of support shown by the community.

She said that moving the residents to alternative facilities could seriously affect the level of contact they have with family members and the community they are so much a part of. Some relatives are able to pop in three or four times a day, she said, and that would be a huge loss to the patients.

(Image via Brenda Fingleton)

“Callous”

Labour Senator John Whelan told TheJournal.ie this morning that his parliamentary party has secured a private meeting with Health Minister James Reilly on Tuesday evening to discuss the planned closures of the Abbeyleix unit and St Brigid’s Hospital in Portlaoise.

“This government said there would have to be tough decisions, but it also promised that these decisions would be fair,” he added. “It is far from fair to penalise and to pick on the most vulnerable, most feeble, most marginalised in our community – our senior citizens.”

Fianna Fáil TD Seán Fleming told TheJournal.ie that three of the older residents at Abbeyleix are taking a High Court action against the closure and that this might delay the process.

He said that although the HSE has organised meetings with residents and their families, the majority are refusing to engage in discussions as they want to see the decision to close the facility reversed.

“There’s a massive level of support for today’s protest because it’s not just about the number of patients affected, this is a hospital that will be needed in the coming years.”

He said that some of the unit’s residents are aged in their 90s and that putting older people effectively out of their homes could not be good for their health or well-being.

“It is a callous way to treat older people,” Fleming said.

Read more: HSE announces second Laois nursing unit closure in two weeks >

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18 Comments
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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
    Favourite Bernadette Dunne
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    Nov 20th 2011, 4:13 PM

    Best of Luck to all and do not give up keep the pressure on even when yea feel like giving up this government are going away the people are not Best wishes

    67
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    Mute John Woods
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    Nov 21st 2011, 2:13 AM

    If they are looking to close down a “house” to save money, I can think of one or two places which could be shut instead of this nursing home. Senate, Farmleigh, even Aras an Uachtarain for god sake.

    23
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    Mute iWmTN8uK
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    Nov 20th 2011, 7:05 PM

    To those of you against this and other cuts, where do you propose money is going to majestically fall from? The trees?

    22
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    Mute elaine
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    Nov 20th 2011, 8:47 PM

    Cut management who are clearly failing at their jobs, cut back office nobodies, do not take the homes out from under innocent vulnerable people!!

    68
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    Mute John McHugh
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    Nov 20th 2011, 11:29 PM

    I would hate to burst your bubble Micheal but the Euro is a fiat currency.
    So although it doesnt grow on trees, it is made from trees and holds as much value as there is nothing backing it.

    So ironically enough value wise it may as well grow on trees.

    But hey, karma’s a bitch.
    When you grow old and have your pension used as collateral for greedy gamblers so that they don’t have to put their hands into their own pockets, maybe your mark on society will leave you high and dry and out in the cold to die.

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    Mute Declan Carroll
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    Nov 21st 2011, 12:29 AM

    Meanwhile our last Minister for Health, Mary Harney, is in receipt of E130,000 a year pension. Not bad for someone who’s very political philosophy lead to the ruination of an entire nation. What does that work out a week ? FFS !!!

    34
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    Mute John
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    Nov 21st 2011, 12:44 AM

    So…in your world, we all just lie down and let the establishment cut us back to a third-world society. I guess the “those of you” you refer to don’t come from the Banking World?

    24
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    Mute Niall Mulligan
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    Nov 21st 2011, 1:15 AM

    Attaboy, Declan.

    The biggest problem I see at the moment is that cuts and taxpayer pain seems like a soft option to our leaders, only way to make them change course is to have them fear the electorate. We need to seem more protests, hopefully this is only the start.

    22
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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    Nov 21st 2011, 3:54 AM

    There is money going out on HUGE SALARIES TO TD’s Ministers Senators county Councillors an Tanaiste Bankers and top Civil Servants management teams etc etc etc it is time that their wage be cut with a very sharp cut and now they are way overpaid

    15
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    Mute Carr Barnes
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    Nov 21st 2011, 8:11 AM

    What if the government told you you had to move out of your home to another area? And while imagining that take into account u.at you can’t just hop onto a bus or into a car to go see friends or family meaning you would be isolated in a place you don’t know with people you don’t know. These are people not boxes of junk.

    9
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    Mute Daniel Dunne
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    Nov 21st 2011, 2:41 AM

    I attended this march today and it is sickening to see what those in power are willing to do to very elderly citizens. But reading between the lines, there is planning permission granted for a private nursing home within 100m of the current public hospital. It seems the “brown envelope” culture is still strong in our nation.

    22
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    Mute Bernadette Dunne
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    Nov 21st 2011, 3:58 AM

    Is the private nursing home connect to James Reilly by any chance in abbeyleix

    14
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    Mute John Ryan
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    Nov 21st 2011, 1:11 AM

    Michael, where did the money come from to pay back the bond holders? Seems there was no bother there. Let’s get our priorities straight and look after our own first instead of accepting our politicians arse-licking the fat cats in Europe who are effectively running the show now and it’s people like this who get left in the shit. Good Luck to them, I hope justice prevails!

    18
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    Mute CMD
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    Nov 21st 2011, 5:46 AM

    Bernadette you have probably near enough hit the nail on the head. There is some vested interest involved – some fat cat will benefit from this closure. And the frightening thing is that ordinary people really have no power against this sort of thing for another 4 and half years till we get a chance to vote this shower out. I’d bet the next government will be made up of a lot of independents. People just won’t trust any party from now on.

    12
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    Mute Dave O'Doherty
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    Nov 21st 2011, 6:37 AM

    CMD, it’s a pity that some people think that the people only have power once every five years. We have it all the time, 24/7.

    Problem is, we have such a short memory that our next government will probably be a coalition of FF and FG who will both still (amazingly) have enough support to get in after Labour are butchered like the Greens.

    We’re a country of lambs and lambs get slaughtered. Simples!

    11
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    Mute John
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    Nov 21st 2011, 2:34 AM

    Current Government Minister with an ‘Overwhelming Mandate’ in a rare moment of humble contemplation: “Hmmm…Imagine if the referendum on Oireachtas inquiries had passed and then we could have made an example of these obstinate protest march organisers (in matters of general public interest of course, and with little or no recourse to the Courts) for defying this Governments’ agenda on the Privatisation of Everything.”…Maybe in the next Referendum?!

    11
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    Mute Frank McMahon
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    Nov 20th 2011, 10:25 PM

    the sign wouldve been more effective if it said “im NOT a celebrity, you cant get me out of here..”

    7
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    Mute CMD
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    Nov 21st 2011, 11:20 AM

    Dave I agree with you about the “sheep” who will still vote FF or FG regardless of what either party do while in office. My point is that we really have no power at this moment to stop the closure of nursing homes, barracks or hospitals. They will be forced on us, we will be told it’s for the good of the economy or health and safety and in 4 years time a lot of these actions will be forgotten and the same merry-go-round of promises, speeches and bulls….t will start again. And most people will fall for it all over again. I’m long enough around to have seen it all many times. I just despair of this country. Then we have so many young people who won’t even vote – ach sin sceal eile!

    2
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