Psychiatric nurses at Galway University Hospital today have begun industrial action and once again the huge problems that exist in mental health services in this region are been highlighted. It is regrettable that nurses who are doing such a great job under the most severe pressure have no other option except to take this action on the grounds of safety and staffing. In addition to the problems in the Galway area, the threat of closure of the Rosalie Unit in Castlerea, which caters for patients who have Dementia and Alzheimers, is still very much a possibility. In common with other public representatives I have been frustrated in my attempts in recent months to have meetings with the relevant authorities to discuss these, and other important issues, in the whole area of mental health services, which affect some of the most vulnerable people in our society. I will be raising them again this week in Leinster House and with the HSE until I get satisfactory answers.
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