Health Minister called on to intervene as HSE confirms local Tipperary diabetic services will not return

Cllr Kieran Bourke told the October meeting of the local authority that Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath received a response from the HSE on October 9 to a parliamentary question. Cllr Bourke confirmed that the diabetic services have been removed from Carrick “full stop”.

The HSE had released a statement seven days previously, saying the removal was on a temporary basis as a review of all “medical accommodation and clinical space needs” takes place at the primary care centre.

Cllr Bourke said he had a letter, a “definitive reply” back from the HSE on October 9 and that Paul Goff of the HSE stated to Deputy McGrath: “I can confirm that the diabetic service is no longer operating from the Carrick-on-Suir primary care centre due to the limited availability of clinical spaces at that location.

“As an interim measure, a decision was made to operate selected multidisciplinary diabetes clinics from Our Lady’s Hospital, Cashel, and St Vincent’s Health Centre, Tipperary town.

“I understand that monthly diabetes clinical nurse specialist (CNS) clinics for highly vulnerable patients continue to be provided at the Carrick-on-Suir primary care centre.

“The diabetic service will be permanently relocated to the newly refurbished Tipperary South Chronic Disease Community Specialist Services, situated in the former St Paul’s Unit on St. Luke’s and Tipperary University Hospital Campus, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.”

The Tipperary South Chronic Disease Community Specialist Services facility is projected to be occupied and fully operational by December 2025.

Cllr Bourke said it’s “bad news” for Carrick once again.

“I am asking this meeting to support me in writing back to the minister again to reconsider the decision to take this vital service away, not just away from the town of Carrick-on-Suir, but the surrounding areas.”

He explained that Carrick is situated at the meeting point of three counties, Kilkenny, Waterford, and Tipperary, meaning that the centre provides services to patients coming from at least a 20-mile radius, which is a “huge area,” said Cllr Bourke.

The cathaoirleach of Carrick-on-Suir Municipal District, Cllr David Dunne, seconded the motion to write to the minister.

The community was promised that when St Brigid’s Hospital was closed in 2020, a diabetic clinic would be established in the primary care centre, he said.

“We welcomed it with open arms, but we did describe it as a white elephant for a long time because there was a lack of services in there. We had no dental services there for a long time because we were waiting for a dental chair.”

There is adequate space in the care centre, so the HSE need to rethink their decision, and reinstate those services, added Cllr Dunne.

Separately, Cllr Dunne said there had been an anonymous post put out on social media that St Brigid’s was to be turned into an IPAS centre.

“I can confirm that that is not happening. I put out a statement there. I appealed to people who are putting stuff out on social media – if you’re going to put out something, put your name to it.

“Don’t be going in under anonymous. Put your name to it. And then if you’re wrong, everyone will know it’s you who are wrong,” added Cllr Dunne.

Meanwhile, Mr McGrath has sharply criticised the removal of diabetic services from Carrick-on-Suir primary care centre and labelled it as a “devastating setback for a community still reeling from the loss of its beloved St Brigid’s hospital”.

Deputy McGrath said he condemned the decision by the HSE to relocate diabetic care to other towns, calling it “a betrayal of trust and a continuation of the erosion of healthcare in Carrick-on-Suir”.

“St Brigid’s was more than a hospital, it was a cornerstone of care, compassion, and community. When it was closed, we were promised that the primary care centre would become a centre of excellence for chronic disease management, especially diabetes. That promise has now been broken.

“Vulnerable patients are being asked to travel long distances for care that was once available in their own town. This move is another slap in the face to every person who fought to keep St Brigid’s open.

“Carrick-on-Suir cannot be left behind,” said Deputy McGrath.