Members of Bere Island Projects Group who are calling for round-the-clock nursing care to be restored on the island have warned of the risks if this is not done.

A delegation met with Senator Noel O’Donovan (FG) and his party colleague Cllr Caroline Cronin in a bid to seek their support in restoring 24/7 nursing cover. They stressed that if this doesn’t happen it is putting the islanders’ health at risk.

Bere is the largest of the West Cork Islands and has a full time population of 218, which can treble during the busy summer season. Up until 2009, the island had two nurses providing 24/7 nursing cover.

Angela Sullivan, chair of Bere Island Projects Group, said that despite raising the issue with the HSE and elected representatives on numerous occasions there is still no change.

‘We need to go back to what was in place on Bere Island up until 2009, when we had two permanent nurses here providing 24/7 cover,’ she said. ‘That arrangement had been in place for years and it was accepted that there was a need to have two nurses here.

‘The HSE has recognised that the role of a community nurse on an island is different to that of a mainland community nurse. We have an ageing community and we want our senior citizens to remain living on the island as long as possible, and we need to keep our island population sustainable by encouraging more people to come and live here, for that to happen it is vital that we have two full time nurses.’

Due to a retirement in 2009, the island’s nursing cover was reduced to one. Angela said the island community was not consulted over this decision. ‘We were told that that was the way it was going to be going forward, and we as a community were not involved in any way in that decision.

‘Our island nurse, who provides us with an amazing service, is only on duty from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.’

Outside of these hours, Angela explained, anyone requiring medical assistance needs to ring SouthDoc, and make their way to the mainland for treatment, which in itself she explained, presents a set of challenges particularly for anyone
elderly.

‘If there is a health emergency that requires urgent medical evacuation, our island nurse also liaises with the Coast Guard helicopter service, to set that procedure in motion.

‘Even when she is off duty she responds to calls, but we need two nurses so that she has a back-up, and we have peace of mind.’

Following the meeting, Senator O’Donovan and Cllr Cronin said they would contact the Minister for Health on the islanders’ behalf.