Connacht Tribune
Final curtain falls for former St Brigid’s psychiatric hospital
The curtain seems set to come down over the coming months on a mental health institution in Galway with a troubled and chequered history dating back to the 1830s.
St Brigid’s Hospital, Ballinasloe – closed down since 2013 – is set to be disposed of by the HSE in different parts, it emerged at last week’s meeting of the Regional Health Forum West.
Established in 1833 and previously known as the Connacht Asylum, the Ballinasloe District Asylum and Ballinasloe Mental Hospital, the HSE is ‘working through some steps to prepare the property for disposal’.
In reply to a query from local councillor, Evelyn Parsons, who sought an update on the vacating of the buildings at the St. Brigid’s site, the HSE confirmed that they had identified ‘various properties’ within the campus that were ‘surplus/available property’.
Joe Hoare, Assistant National Director, Capital & Estates (HSE), told Cllr Parsons in a written reply, said that the sale of four acres at the site to the Department of Education for the provision of new school accommodation had been agreed.
However, Mr Hoare also pointed out that the HSE would be retaining health facilities currently in operation at the site, as well as elements of land for potential future use and development.
He added that ‘this would likely include’ a potential development site for a proposed new Primary and Ambulatory Care Centre (same day assessment, diagnosis and treatment of patients without hospital admission) in the context of the new Enhanced Community Care programme.
“The remaining surplus lands and buildings – including the old hospital buildings – are to be disposed of. In order for the HSE to dispose of the former mental health buildings and land identified as surplus to requirements, the HSE is working through some steps to prepare the property for disposal.
“This has recently included decanting [transfer] of some remaining mental health services. There are some further services to be decanted along with the preparation, rectification of title/folios maps and decommissioning of utility services.
“It is hoped to commence work on a strategy for disposal of the site before the end of this year,” stated Mr Hoare.
The HSE ‘site disposal’ confirmation has been welcomed by Cllr Parsons who said that this was long-awaited news for Ballinasloe and at last ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’.
“It is extremely welcome to finally hear the emergence of a timeline – something we did not have before. After a long information vacuum it is great now to be regularly briefed on progress, ” said Cllr Parsons.
She added that she welcomed the statement from Breda Crehan Roche, Chief of Community Healthcare West, that the HSE sees Ballinasloe as the ideal location for an Enhanced Community Care Hub linking to the children disability network.
“I hope we will soon have confirmed positive news regarding the location of an Enhanced Community Care hub in Ballinasloe which is an ideal location and plays to our local strengths in health services and health care in the community,” said Cllr Parsons.
According to an Irish Times report by Rosita Boland earlier this year, in 1951, the town of Ballinasloe had a population of 5,596, while at the same time there were 2,078 ‘resident patients’ in St. Brigid’s Hospital.
The deinstitutionalisation of psychiatric hospitals [treating patients in a community or general hospital setting] led to the closure of specialised psychiatric hospitals in Ireland through the late 1990s and early 2000s. All patients are now treated through the community or in designated units in the general hospital system.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
