Closure of dementia unit 'not due to cuts'

THE ROYAL Hospital in Donnybrook in Dublin has insisted that the proposed closure of its Alzheimer’s unit is the result of a clinical decision, and not because of funding cuts imposed by the Health Service Executive.

Criticism of the closure of the unit, which caters for patients with different forms of dementia, was voiced by Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter.

He said he suspected it was a result of the extra cost in providing staff and security.

Mr Shatter said he had been assured in response to a Dáil question last December that the full facts surrounding the planned closure would be made available to him. But he said this had not happened.

“My understanding is that the hospital required extra resources to provide a secure unit to stop patients wandering off, or additional staff, or both,” Mr Shatter said.

However, hospital chief executive Graham Knowles, in a letter to Mr Shatter, insisted: “The Royal Hospital Donnybrook does not believe it is appropriate for us to specialise in such an area [Alzheimer’s] and that there will be other solutions that will come on stream that will be arguably more appropriate.”

A spokeswoman for the Royal Hospital also said the closure of the unit was “for clinical reasons other than funding” and the ward would be put to other uses. She could not say what these uses were.

The spokeswoman said the patients would be transferred to an appropriate unit in advance of the closure which is planned for later this year.