Morris: UHL management treating Tipperary with ‘utter contempt’

Nenagh Hospital. Photo © Tipp FM

A North Tipp councillor doesn’t accept excuses given behind the repeated closures of the Nenagh Injury Unit.

The unit is closed once again today, which means it has now been unavailable for 4 out of the last 10 days.

Councillor Seamie Morris says it’s a ‘complete mess’ and he doesn’t buy the inadequate staffing levels excuse, stating that this is not happening elsewhere.

Councillor Morris has questioned the management at Nenagh as well as the treatment of Tipperary health services by the HSE and the UL Hospital Group.

“How come it’s not happening in St. John’s or Ennis? Maybe Nenagh is being staffed so tightly they can’t afford to lose one or two people… so it’s obvious that our services in Tipperary are not being staffed properly. This all goes back to local management and management at UHL who seem to treat Tipperary with utter contempt.”

The local councillor then accused TDs in North Tipp of letting the ‘travesty’ within the local health service happen.

He says healthcare across the Midwest is falling down and TDs who promised to keep services running are now silent.

Councillor Morris says that since the HIQA report on UHL there has been little reaction from their local representatives despite his calls for meetings, and inspections by the fire chief of the facility.

He says people are angry and being denied dignity.

“Every politician that has been elected to represent North Tipp has allowed this to happen. Why haven’t they been doing anything about it, this is probably the most serious thing that has happened to people in the Mid-West. Somebody would want to be banging the table or shouting but no I’m not hearing anything and it really surprises me that people elected on the back of keeping Nenagh open are now keeping their head down on it.”