Suicide rates on the rise and no immediate prospects of the return of acute psychiatric beds to Clonmel

Heartfelt pleas made by desperate families who took to the streets of Clonmel in their hundreds in September seeking the return of acute psychiatric beds continue to be ignored.
Hopes held among service users that Minister of State Jim Daly, on a visit to Clonmel , would deliver positive progress on the return of acute psychiatric beds to Clonmel, were unfounded.
Since June eight young people in the Clonmel area have died from suicide, according to Fr. Michael Toomey, who has been outspoken on the need for acute beds, who said recent figures show that Clonmel has been hit by suicide more per capita than the rest of the country outside of Dublin.

St.Michael's acute psychiatric beds unit in Clonmel closed in 2012 after a three year unsuccessful campaign to keep it open.On a previous visit to Clonmel eighteen months ago Minister Daly said the closure was a "wrong" and he wanted to put it right.

However this week Minister Daly, while he did have progress to report on the delivery of a crisis house mental health service inGlenconnor,Clonmel and the filling of three crucial nursing posts in the mental health services, he had no progress to report on the return of acute  psychiatric beds to Clonmel.

"Following the meeting it remains we have no acute psychiatric beds or no immediate prospect of acute psychiatric beds" said retired consultant psychiatrist Dr.Alan Moore.

Hundreds take to the streets in Clonmel to demand restoration of acute psychiatric beds to Clonmel