Leopardstown Hospital Suspends Respite Care

Leopardstown Park Hospital in south Dublin is closing 21 beds and plans to suspend respite care for around 30 families a month. The suspension comes into effect at the beginning of May.

The hospital says the cuts are necessary because of a funding shortfall this year of around €1.5m in Health Service Executive funding.

The hospital has written to the families affected and is due to meet with them to discuss the problems.

Leopardstown is a voluntary hospital that caters mainly for older, long stay patients.

It receives over €13m a year in funding from the HSE.

In a statement, the HSE said it was still in discussion with the hospital on a plan and no reduction in services had been agreed.

Fine Gael Dublin South TD Olivia Mitchell said she had raised the issue in the Dáil but complained that it was ‘lost in the flood of complaints about the Health Service.’