Louth TD Ó Murchú Demands Answers from HSE on Delayed Crosslanes Mental Health Beds
Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú has called on the HSE to clarify the status of the ten extra beds promised for the Drogheda Department of Psychiatry (DDOP) at Crosslanes, Drogheda. Despite planning permission being granted six months ago, there has been no commencement of construction, leaving the much-needed expansion in limbo.
Deputy Ó Murchú voiced his frustration, stating, “The extension to DDOP at Crosslanes has been promised for a long time, but six months after the granting of planning, nothing has happened, and I want to know why. This should be an urgent, priority project for the HSE, but it hasn’t moved.”
Adding to the concerns, Deputy Ó Murchú highlighted alarming information about staffing within the mental health services in the Louth-Meath area. “It is my understanding that there were more than 40 nursing vacancies in the wider mental health services in Louth and Meath, but now, following the lifting of the recruitment moratorium, these have been turned into just 13 empty positions,” he said. “It is very worrying. And these are just the nursing vacancies – if you add in the other disciplines where there are shortages, then, I’m told, the number is higher.”
The delay in expanding the DDOP at Crosslanes is particularly concerning given the findings of a June 2023 inspection by the Mental Health Commission. The inspection revealed significant staffing shortages at the Crosslanes facility, noting that “an inadequate number of appropriately trained nursing staff” was impacting the safety and quality of care. The report also cited 49 instances since January 2023 where the centre was understaffed, exacerbating the already critical need for additional resources.
Councillor Joanna Byrne echoed Deputy Ó Murchú’s concerns, underscoring the need for immediate action. “Staff working in mental health services are under pressure, and that pressure is exacerbated by the situation with the unfilled vacancies,” she said. Cllr. Byrne also pointed to Sinn Féin’s recently launched mental healthcare plans, which focus on shifting from crisis management to community-based, proactive care. “The big difference between Sinn Féin’s plan and Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael’s approach is that we will move away from decades of crisis management and underinvestment to community-based, proactive care,” she stated.
The Louth-Meath area remains one of the most underserved regions in the state for mental health bed provision, and the continued delay in expanding the Crosslanes facility only adds to the mounting pressure on an already strained system. Deputy Ó Murchú has called for transparency from the HSE, demanding answers on both the bed expansion and the true state of staffing vacancies within the local mental health services.
As the wait continues, the need for swift action to address these issues grows more urgent by the day.086 022 6577