Toghermore closure threat was over one week’s work

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN IT HAS emerged that Toghermore House was threatened with closure days before Christmas, because of improvement works that will only take a week to complete. The 18-bed mental health community residence was saved for the short term last month following a vigorous campaign by the local community and residentsâ€â„¢ relatives to keep it open. The HSE confirmed in mid-January that funding would be made available for the necessary fire safety improvement works at the historic house. Just days before Christmas the HSE announced that following concerns raised in a fire safety report the house would be shut down and residents relocated to other facilities. However, following the intervention of the Minister for Health, the HSE backed down and agreed to carry out the necessary works in order for the 19th-century building to meet fire safety standards.[private] The HSE has confirmed to The Tuam Herald that it is beginning to work on addressing the urgent fire issues that were identified at the house. The first project will be installing a new fire alarm, which is expected to take a week and should be carried out before the end of the month. â€Å“The HSEâ€â„¢s priority is to ensure that residents and staff safety is paramount. The HSE is currently working to alleviate the urgent fire safety issues identified in Toghermore House. The tenders for the fire alarm installation have been returned and the successful contractor is now verifying his insurance. It is intended to issue the order to proceed early next week, with a one-week programme for worksâ€â„¢ completion from the date the job is started,â€Â according to a HSE statement. The independent fire report had never recommended the closure of the house or the evacuation of its residents. It had listed a range of fire safety issues in terms of urgency and gave between three months and three years for these to be addressed. At the end of last year the HSE rejected calls for the most urgent remedial works to be carried out to allow the house to remain open, even after an offer of €60,000 was given towards the project by Tuam and District Mental Health Association. It appears that the HSE will carry out the required works on a phased basis. Meeting next week Meanwhile, the sequence of these works and the long term future of Toghermore House will be raised at a meeting between the HSE and Galway East TDs and Senators next week. A meeting on Toghermore had been sought between local deputies and Junior Health Minister Kathleen Lynch. However she has asked they meet with Area Manager Catherine Cunningham and other HSE staff first to see if their concerns can be resolved. Fine Gael Galway East TD Paul Connaughton says the meeting with the HSE is not one called especially to discuss Toghermore but he expects the controversy to be top of the agenda at the HSE briefing. He told The Herald that it was imperative that the local representatives are given clear answers as to what is going on in Toghermore and what the HSEâ€â„¢s plans are for the residence. â€Å“We need to know at what stage the planned fire improvement works are at, when will the facility be reopened to new admissions and what is the HSEâ€â„¢s plan for the long-term future of Toghermore?â€Â he said. Deputy Connaughton said that if he is unhappy with the HSEâ€â„¢s response or fails to get clear answers at the meeting on Friday, February 15, he will press for a meeting with Minister Lynch. â€Å“Weâ€â„¢ve been told that the money to bring the residence up to fire standard will be made available, but weâ€â„¢re unsure as to where exactly this money is coming from. â€Å“If the resources are coming from an existing budget then we need to be watchul as to where the savings are coming from and what other service will be affected as a result,â€Â said the FG deputy. The Tuam and District Mental Health Association and the Save Toghermore group are continuing with their campaign to ensure the long-term future of the community residence. Chairperson of TDMHA Helen Kelly is urging businesses and people living in Tuam to keep their green ribbon and Support Toghermore card on their doors to show the townâ€â„¢s continued support. â€Å“We are visiting many of the residential estates in the town with cards and green ribbons. Itâ€â„¢s important for people to keep Toghermore in their minds and to know that the campaign hasnâ€â„¢t ended,â€Â she said. There has been no contact from the Area Manager with the local mental health group in recent weeks. Campaigners are eager to ascertain a timescale for the improvement works as they fear they could drag on for a number of months. The Toghermore House controversy is also expected to be discussed at the first meeting this year of the West Regional Health Forum, which takes place at the end of the month.[/private]