Crunch meeting with Health Minister on funding for Hospice staff

Athlone"s two Oireachtas members are to meet with Health Minister Mary Harney this week amid concerns that cuts in the public finances could mean the HSE will not be able to meet the costs of staffing the new South Westmeath Hospice facility. The new hospice building at St Vincent"s Hospital in Athlone has been the subject of a massive fundraising effort in recent years, with the South Westmeath Hospice committee generating some €1.25m for the project. However, reports that the Health Service Executive (HSE) might not be in a position to fund the staff needed at the facility have prompted the meeting between Deputy Mary O"Rourke, Senator Nicky McFadden and Minister Mary Harney, which is expected to take place tomorrow (Thursday). When contacted by the Westmeath Independent this week, Deputy O"Rourke indicated that the meeting would give a clearer picture of what the long-term funding position of the facility would be. 'Nobody seems to know what the (funding) situation is. It"s in that realm at the moment,' she said. Referring to suggestions that funding for staff might not be available, she said: 'There"s nothing definite about it at the moment. It may be that there"s nothing to it, we just don"t know. And we won"t know until after the meeting on Thursday.' When contacted earlier this week, a member of the South Westmeath Hospice committee declined to comment on the situation. The hospice committee was formed in 1994 and has funded the training of nurses, nurses salaries, equipment and operating costs for the hospice at St Vincent"s Hospital for the past 15 years. In 2007, the committee agreed to provide a new, purpose-built four-bed unit to be constructed at St Vincent"s, staffing costs for which were expected to be met by the HSE. The project also provided for a kitchen facility for patients and their families, a nurses station, treatment rooms, a day-care room with dining room and kitchen, office space, a conference room and an office base for the existing home care team of nurses. The construction of the hospice building has been completed but to fit out the facility a further €450,000 to €500,000 is currently required, the majority of which is to come from ongoing fundraising efforts