Politics - Thurles Information

13,941 Patients Without A Bed At UHL In 2019

Some 118,367 patients found themselves without a hospital bed in 2019, according to an end-of-year analysis supplied by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO). Of those affected patients, some 1,300 were children under the age of 16 years.

The figures clearly demonstrate that in 2019 we saw a rise of some 9% above similar figures produced in 2018, making it the worst-ever year for hospital overcrowding, since records initially began.

The worst month for overcrowding, during 2019, was November with 12,055 without a hospital bed. Figures for the months of October and September remained nothing to write home about either, with same analysis showing 11,452 and 10,641 patients, respectively, experiencing similar difficulties.

To the shame of our elected representatives here in Co. Tipperary, the worst-hit hospital in the state, in 2019, was University Hospital Limerick, with 13,941 patients left waiting, latter serving the residents of North Tipperary. Same hospital is situated some 79 kilometres (49 miles) from Thurles, via the M7, or some 1 hour & 10 minutes driving time, subject to traffic density.

South Tipperary General Hospital, serving the south of the county, had 6,942 patients in 2019 without a hospital bed.

The INMO end-of-year analysis conclude that under-staffing and the lack of bed capacity remain the key drivers when it comes to overcrowding. They point out that 411 fewer in-patient beds exist here in Ireland’s hospitals today, than existed a decade ago, despite our emerging larger and older population.

St. Pat’s Graveyard Gates Returned, Beautifully Restored

Here in Thurles, Co. Tipperary, our St. Patrick’s graveyard gates have been returned, fully restored for Christmas 2019.

Over the past number of days, the five entry gates to the cemetery have now been hung back on their respective pillars. Congratulations to those who undertook this physical work; demonstrating true ability and craftsmanship, through their skilled restoration.

**Fifty-Eight Years Without A Coat Of Paint.**

The issue of the state of these gates was first raised here on Thurles.Info on July 9th, 2018. [Click Here]. The matter was totally ignored for 12 months, despite Tipperary Politicians, Cabinet Ministers and Municipal District Councillors, of all political affiliations, passing through these graveyard portals, several times per week in some cases; in their efforts no doubt to ingratiate and influence their particular political groupings, with the family members of deceased persons being interred.

We realised in April 2019 that local elections were imminent and the double jobbing, Municipal District Councillors, would once again appear on radar, each applying for that attractive little extra bonus of €20,000 per annum, before vanishing yet again into the woodwork, emerging every Monday to spew the party line on TippFm radio.

So, on April 28th, 2019 (almost one year later) we again raised this graveyard gates issue, using the heading “Suitable Doorstep Discourse For Campaigning Thurles Councillors”. (Viewed by some 2,508 silent readers, the composed article also contained video, shown hereunder.)

This latter article [View Here] also laid bare the designated misnomer that Tipperary County Council; under the leadership of Mr Joe MacGrath (Chief Executive), and through its ‘Community and Economic Development Statement’, continued to maintain the widely held false belief that Tipp. Co. Council continually strives to provide a place where its people can enjoy a ‘great quality of life’, ‘Fairness’, ‘Co-Operation’, ‘Communication’, ‘Teamwork’, ‘Partnership’ and ‘Collaboration’.

Three months after the May 2019 local elections; in early August of 2019, the gates were removed for restoration, no doubt by order of red faced officials of Tipperary Co. Council, who charge €90.00 for planning permission to erect your own headstone.

Had even one of our double jobbing, €20,000 extra salaried, disinterested, Municipal District Councillors, or their officials, taken the slightest notice of this project back then last August; a power-hose would have been summoned within the last 4.5 months, to undertake the descaling of the grimy walls. [Watch the slideshow again and weep.]

But not so; this week the gates have now been hung on dirty pillars, attached to walls, solidly engrained by half a century of black mire and moss.
A stagnant 10 years of dead moss and leaf mold, sheltered from the wind piles up on the ground outside the main entrance.
Giant pot holes and muck; same demanding visitors to wear wellingtons, still exists; the holes permanently full of water.
The continuous dumping of weeds, excess gravel, dead flowers and wreaths goes on, without any reduction in intensity; same clearly visible, particularly on the east side.
The unsupported banks of clay remain to erode unto the pathway.
The ivy, with an added two more seasons of growth, further hangs over the exterior graveyard wall, forcing pedestrians, unnecessarily, to walk out, unto a narrow, unlit and dangerous roadway.
We won’t discuss the new carpark and the money wasted. To publically discuss how taxpayers money was spent afterall, outside of Co. Council meetings, could be seen as rather trivial and banal; and should not be overheard by the ears of the great unwashed or the less desireable RTE’s “Prime Time”.

We have listened to councillors “calling” for a Sensory Garden for Thurles in recent months. Thurles already has two Sensory Gardens, [See Here and also Here], we also have a graveyard that is ignored and is a public disgrace, demonstrating utter disrespect to those currently interred.

But worst of all, our community residents have now given up on the idea that they can in some way influence change; hence, for now at least, their continued deep and deathly silence remains deafening.

Danger: Water Abstractions Bill Affecting Tipperary Brought To Cabinet

**Part of Tipperary’s Lough Derg shore line.**

The present Fine Gael Cabinet has approved new legislation that should allow for the development of a controversial aqua pipeline that hopes to extract water from the River Shannon to feed Dublin’s continuously leaking water pipes.

Minister supposedly in charge of Housing, Planning and Local Government, Mr Eoghan Murphy yesterday, Tuesday December 17th, conveyed a memo to Cabinet, proposing the drafting of a Water Environment (Abstractions) Bill. This Bill would allow for the licensing of large-scale water abstractions, within the Irish State.

However, the real aim of this Bill is to allow by law for a massive, controversial €1.3 billion Shannon pipeline to proceed. Backed by Irish Water, this project, proposes to use water from the River Shannon to supply water to Dublin.

First mooted in 2011, the scheme was estimated at €470m. In 2014, three years later, estimates for cost were €500m. The project today, just a five years later; and reminiscent of the National Children’s Hospital Project, same is now estimated at costing taxpayers €1.3 billion and rising; all for the benefit of Urban Dublin.

The project has been already fiercely opposed by Tipperary landowners, latter the owners of property along the proposed route. Same argue that its impact will be detrimental to the Lower Shannon region. They further argue that the 40% to 50% of leaking pipes first introduced under British rule in Victorian times within the Dublin region, if repaired, would fully negate any need to abstract water supplies from Ireland’s 224-mile-long river, named after ‘Sionna’, a Celtic goddess.

For readers unaware of this aqua pipeline project; same proposes to extract some 330 to 350 million litres of water from the Shannon river, piped through a 170km pipeline, from Lough Derg’s Parteen Basin in Co. Tipperary, across Ireland to Dublin city, overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), latter who recently declared that there are now just 20 pristine river sites within the Republic of Ireland; same down from over 500 such sites in the late 1980’s.

Today 106 People Wait For A Bed In Tipperary Hospitals

Some 614 patients are being treated on trolleys at hospitals across the 26 counties of Ireland this morning, all waiting for beds to become available.

Some 433 patients are waiting in emergency department, while 181 other patients are in wards, spread elsewhere in affected hospitals.

As usual, University Hospital Limerick, serving north Tipperary, whose staff remain under intolerable pressure; are once again the worst affected with 74 people awaiting beds. Clonmel General Hospital, latter serving the needs of South Tipperary, have 32 patients on trolley’s awaiting beds, according to figures supplied by INMO Trolly Watch.

In all, over 17.26 % of all patients nationally, who are without a bed this morning, are to be found located, waiting in hospitals supposedly serving the people of Tipperary.

EPA Finds River Water Quality Deteriorating

Assessment shows only 53% of our surface water bodies here in Ireland have satisfactory water quality.

Thurles.Info, over the past number of years, has continuously highlighted the deliberate neglect and permitted deterioration, by Irish Water and Tipperary Co. Council, of water quality flowing in the river Suir, through Thurles town.

Now the EPA have today published the report for the five-year period 2013-2018.

The key findings are:
(1) Some 92% of groundwater bodies, 80% of coastal waters, 53% of rivers, 50% of lakes and 38% of estuaries were found to be of satisfactory quality.
(2) Since the last full assessment, however, river water quality has disimproved, with a net decline of 5.5% (128 water bodies) in the status of river water bodies.
(3) We are continuing to see a loss of the pristine river water bodies. There are now just 20 pristine river sites; same down from over 500 sites in the late 1980’s.
(4) The number of seriously polluted river water bodies (the ‘worst of the worst’) has started to rise; from 6 to 9 after many years of an improving trend.
(5) The number of fish kills increased to 40 in 2018, following a historic low of 14 in 2017. It is likely that the hot summer and low flow conditions in 2018 had an impact on this.

Commenting on the assessment, EPA Director Matt Crowe said:
“Ireland has made commitments to protect and improve water quality, under the Water Framework Directive and the National River Basin Management Plan 2018-2021. The aim of European and National Water Policy is to get polluted waters clean again, and ensure clean waters are kept clean.
However, the findings of this report indicate that water quality is getting worse after a period of relative stability and improvement. We now have an increase in the number of the most polluted river sites, and the number of rivers in poor ecological health is also increasing. Positive trends reported previously by the EPA have reversed. Not only are we failing to improve overall water quality, we are also failing to prevent further deterioration of our rivers.”

The main significant pressures impacting water quality in Ireland include agriculture, wastewater discharges, impacts to the physical habitat conditions including excess sediment (hydromorphology), and pressures from forestry activities. Of particular concern in the most recent assessment is the increase in nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) finding their way into our water bodies. Agriculture and waste water are the main sources of nutrients. Over a quarter of river sites monitored have increasing nutrient levels and nutrient loads to the marine environment have also increased.

Concluding, Ms Mary Gurrie, (Water Programme Manager) said:
“The overall increase in nutrient concentrations is a worrying development for our water quality. These excess nutrients come from human activities, predominantly our farms and waste water. We need to address the sources and the pathways by which these nutrients make their way into our rivers and lakes. Good water quality is essential for out health and well-being. The National River Basin Management Plan sets out a programme of measures to protect and improve water quality. It is essential that the measures required are implemented in order to avoid further deterioration and achieve the good water quality which people expect.”

The report Water Quality in Ireland 2013-2018 is now available on the EPA website and the accompanying data used in the water quality assessments are available HERE. An infographic is also available.