‘A matter of geography,’ Nenagh needs second ShannonDoc service

Tipperary TD Jackie Cahill has urged the Minister of State in the Department of Health, Anne Rabbitte, for the establishment of a second overnight ShannonDoc service for north Tipperary.

Deputy Cahill highlighted the fact that the entire north Tipperary area, which is located in the HSE Mid-West region is serviced by only one ShannonDoc ‘Core Centre’, which operates out of Nenagh, while the other two ShannonDoc centres in Roscrea and Thurles are ‘Regional Centres’ and they close each evening at 11pm.

The Thurles-based TD highlighted the impracticalities and impossibilities of a ShannonDoc service located in Nenagh being expected to service a geographical area that spans from the bridge in Portumna, down past Thurles, and out to areas such as Gortnahoe. Speaking outside of the new Primary Healthcare Centre in his hometown of Thurles last Thursday, Deputy Cahill said: “I raised the issue of Shannon Doc services in North Tipperary in the Dáil this week.

“We have three service centres in north Tipperary: a Core Centre in Nenagh and two others in Roscrea and Thurles, who do not provide night services,” he added.

Tipperary’s Government TD continued to say: “I am clearly saying that north Tipperary needs two Core Centres.

“At the moment, the HSE has ten teams in the Mid-West region. Only one of those is in north Tipperary.

“I am clearly saying to the HSE that we need a second Core Centre in north Tipperary here in this new Primary Care Centre in Thurles, which was opened a couple of weeks ago by the Taoiseach.”

Deputy Cahill continued: “This centre has the infrastructure that would be needed to provide that vital service,” he added.

Following a response from the Minister during a session of the Dáil last week, Cahill highlighted the challenges posed for the facilities at present to give an adequate service to a large proportion of areas in which it is meant to be covering.

“The last part of the Minister of State’s answer showed that she fully understands the issue and the problem in north Tipperary.

“It is a matter of geography,” Cahill highlighted.

“As the Minister of State said, it is an hour and a quarter from Portumna to Thurles but the north Tipperary region stretches another 15 miles or so beyond Thurles into Gortnahoe and Ballysloe.

“It is physically impossible to give an adequate service at night-time. From 11pm to 8am, we only have one core centre in north Tipperary.

“It is just not physically possible to get to patients in ample time no matter how hard the doctors on duty try.”

It was suggested to Cahill by the Minister that he hold talks locally to see if anything can be done to improve ShannonDoc’s services.

“I will take on board the Minister of State's point about holding negotiations with Shannondoc at the local level to see how its services could be revamped to provide better cover geographically to the whole of north Tipperary.

“That core centre in Thurles would give the extra resources and would divide north Tipperary into two regions.

“If that was done, we would be able to adequately cover north Tipperary and provide the night service that people rightly expect and demand of the HSE in modern-day Ireland,” he concluded.