The management at the hospital have told Councillor Brid Smith that the closure of the Beech is due to staff shortages for the Summer months. However, they could not give any guarantees as to when it will reopen.

Nurses who are taking annual leave and maternity leave are not being replaced. The HSE embargo on recruitment is once again seriously hurting patients receiving respite care and their families.

Last year the carers campaigned strongly with Brid Smith to stop the permanent closure of respite care services in Cherryorchard Hospital. They collected thousands of signatures, lobblied politicans and held two very large demonstrations through Ballyfermot up to the Hospital. The respite care services were sucessfully re-instated at that time. Following that campaign the Beech unit at the hospital was renovated and extended. This new and beautiful facility will now lie empty due to cuts.