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Fianna Fáil TD for Carlow/Kilkenny, Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere, has stated that it is ‘shameful’ that St Columba’s Hospital has not had a Speech and Language Therapist for three years. By way of QPL, Deputy Cleere asked the question to Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue who was standing in for Minister Carroll McNeill. In a response to the PQ, the HSE provided the Deputy with a written response, reaffirming their commitment to hiring a Speech and Language Therapist for St Columba’s, whilst also highlighting the challenges of filling the post. “In their response, the HSE informed me they have attempted on several occasions to recruit someone to fill the post in St Columba’s, but to no avail,” said Deputy Cleere. THREE YEARS “It has been three years of vacancy for that particular post, and it is shameful to say that this is still the case.” Deputy Cleere went on to highlight how one of his constituents has had to pay out of their own pockets for a Speech and Language Therapist when recovering from a heart attack. READ: ST COLUMBA'S PERFORMS STRONGLY IN HIQA REPORT “A constituent of mine whose husband had a heart attack was attending St Lukes Hospital. As he started to improve, he moved out of St Luke's in Kilkenny to St Columba’s in Thomastown for rehabilitation,” he said. “When he was in St Luke’s he had access to a speech and language therapist, however when he moved to Thomastown no such person was in place. The wife of the man who was ill had to privately employ a Speech and Language Therapist at her own cost of €300 and the therapist had to travel from Kildare, so travel costs incurred here alongside the initial fee.” Deputy Cleere concluded by saying the HSE must prioritise filling this post which has lay vacant for far too long, to prevent further undue costs on patients. “Every patient who needs access to Speech and Language Therapists should be able to avail of that support in St Columba’s,” the Fianna Fáil TD said. “It is almost surreal to think a post can be left vacant for such a long period of time when there is such a need for them in the community. I encourage the HSE to fill the post as a matter of urgency.”
