Month: April 2008

SHANNON Airport will now be in a position to maximise its growth as an independent entity, airport boss, Pat Shanahan has predicted.

The chairman of the Shannon Air- port Authority was speaking after Minister Noel Dempsey’s statement that the airport could run be running its own affairs in less than a year.

The transport minister has said he expects the separation of Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports to be completed within the next nine to 12 eatoyelaatcy

This follows the decision of the board of Cork Airport Authority (CAA) to accept the recommenda- tions of mediator Peter Cassells in

relation to the level of debt it should bear at separation.

The autonomy of the three airports has been held up for five years by the row over who should pay the €220 million debt for Cork.

The Shannon Airport Authority welcomed the announcement that the airports were to split.

“We have general agreement al- ready with the Dublin Airport Au- thority on separation and have put forward a robust and independently validated business case in this re- gard,” Shanahan said.

He predicted that “Shannon Air- port’s maximum potential can only be achieved as an independent com- mercial state enterprise. Even with limited autonomy since Shannon

Airport Authority Board was ap- pointed in September 2004, major progress has been achieved, with traffic growing by 50 per cent and a major restructuring programme be- ing implemented that has achieved cost savings of over €10m per an- num.”

According to Minister Dempsey a process of engagement is underway involving all the relevant parties and dealing with implementation and the technical and legal issues involved.

As part of the process, Minister Dempsey said there would need to be “necessary consultation with stake- holders”.

SIPTU in Cork have opposed the plan which will see Cork saddled with a debt of €113 million but with

assets valued at €220 million. Both Cork and Shannon airports were promised debt-free separation by the Government in 2004. Mr Dempsey yesterday ruled out the possibility of providing financial assistance to the CAA in the future should it run into funding difficulties.

On Thursday evening, a statement from the CAA said it had “sought and received assurances from the minister for transport that an inde- pendent Cork airport can rely on support, financial or otherwise, to ensure the airport’s continued viabil- ity in the event of it being unable to meet its fixed funding obligations as a consequence of the occurrence of certain adverse business risks or ex- traordinary events”.

A MEETING today of shop stew- ards at Aer Lingus seems unlikely to halt a stand-off between ground staff and management which could see workers suspended and flights under threat.

Aer Lingus management have set a deadline of 5pm today in Shan- non, Dublin and Cork for the ground crews to accept cost-cutting propos- AS

The 1,800 SIPTU workers em- ployed in ground operations, includ- ing check-in, loading and catering, voted to reject proposals negotiated between union and management by a three-to-one margin last February.

Since then, there have been some

negotiations, but now management has upped the ante by setting the oCer-Ke dbp ates

From 4am tomorrow, staff rostered to come on under the new arrange- ments will be expected to turn up and work with new practices or face Suspension.

The airline’s management has al- ready warned that they will close or outsource certain operations if this doesn’t happen.

Shop stewards representing the workers are due to meet at lunchtime today, but sources close to the two sides are not optimistic of any agree- ment being reached in time.

Management want the workers to Operate new rosters and practices as part of a masterplan to save the air-

line €20 million.

So far, agreement has been reached with most groups, including the pi- etsy

A spokesman for SIPTU said last night that the union’s members rejected the deal in February be- cause “they obviously felt it was too much. The plan includes things like 12 hour shifts, 4am shift starts and split shifts. This is a deal to save the airline €20 million and €10 mil- lion of that is to come from SIPTU members. While that is half the sav- ing and SIPTU represents half the workforce, in general, SIPTU mem- bers are not nearly as well paid as, say pilots, so it is a much bigger sac- rifice that 1s being asked of them.”

The union spokesman said that the

“fact that the company is making money and the top management has publicly said it is going to pay itself a big bonus is not helping matters.”

Last year, Aer Lingus Chief Ex- ecutive Dermot Mannion promised shareholders that he would imple- ment the staff cost savings from the beginning of 2008.

However, so far none of the pro- posed measures have materialised because of ongoing negotiations over new work practices and rostering.

SIPTU’s ground staff members had already voted to take industrial action if changes in working ar- rangements were introduced without agreement.

No-one could be contacted to com- ment in Aer Lingus.

A WEST Clare man died due to a brain infarct the cause of which could not be absolutely determined, an inquest into his death heard yes- KOE As

John J Darcy (68), Main Street, Mullagh, died at Ennis General Hos- pital in the early hours of July 13, 2002.

Solicitor Ger Gannon, representing the Darcy family, put it to Sergeant Joe Hehir of Miltown Malbay Garda Station that there had been an “inci- dent” in the previous 12 months be- fore Mr Darcy had passed away.

Sgt Hehir said there had been an in- vestigation of an assault on Mr Darcy the previous year.

During the assault Mr Darcy had

suffered a broken nose and had re- ceived five stitches. Sgt Hehir said that a complaint had been made in August 2001.

A minor had been dealt with in re- lation to this, under the national Ju- venile Diversion Programme which deals with young offenders by cau- tioning them.

The then superintendent in En- nistymon decided that the young boy be dealt with under the Juvenile Di- version Programme.

Superintendent Gabriel O’Gara pointed out to the inquest that the matter had subsequently been re-in- vestigated by an officer from outside the Clare division.

Arising from that investigation, a file was submitted to the DPP. The DPP said that the initial decision to

caution the minor, under the Diver- sion programme, was the correct de- cision.

The solicitor pointed out that Mr Darcy received treatment for his nose injury twice, the second of which was some days before he died.

State Pathologist Professor Marie Cassidy carried out a post-mortem examination on Mr Darcy’s body on July 13, 2002. She pointed out that he had received surgery for a nose injury in September 2001. He was readmitted to hospital in June 2002 for further corrective surgery, which was deemed a success. He returned home and was brought back to hos- pital some days later as he fell un- conscious. He remained unconscious until his death.

She said that death was due to pul-

monary thrombo embolism, due to deep vein thrombosis, due to immo- bility, which was due to brain stem damage.

“When he left hospital (on June 20, 2002) he appeared to be fit and healthy,” said Professor Cassidy.

However, she said, “Some cata- strophic event” had taken place prior to him losing consciousness. She said that one possibility was that he had suffered a small heart attack but “this diagnosis cannot be confirmed.”

She said that the State Patholo- gist for Northern Ireland, Professor Crane, had come to “similar con- clusions as myself, in that it was unlikely there was a direct associa- tion between the last surgery and his subsequent collapse and the develop- ment of the brain stem condition that

led to his death.”

Professor Cassidy said, “There’s little certainty as to the brain injury that led to his death. It’s undeter- mined.”

The solicitor put it to her, “The cause of death is the real problem. There is no certainty about that from the point of view of the Darcy fam- 7 A

Prof Cassidy replied, “It is most likely this could have occurred at any time, without any of the preced- ing events but that is as much as I can SNA

She said she could not be sure what caused the “catastrophic event that led to death’.

County Coroner Isobel O’Dea ad- journed the remainder of the inquest until a later date.

THE PLAYGROUND at Cappa will oLoMmm XCM ND OTSMMM sD. qe: More 001 0)00Ccs 0mm DOCG mz) facelift before the summer.

Members of Kilrush Town Council were given the good news at their meeting last week after Councillor Liam O’Looney (FF) asked that the playground be extended.

“As a father with young children

myself, I go there regularly and this is a facility which serves the com- munity very well. But three or four of the little activities that were there have been taken away. There’s now only one baby swing and there are long queues to use it. It wouldn’t take much to put an extra couple of swings in, for instance.”

Cllr Marian McMahon Jones (FG) supported Councillor O’Looney and

asked whether there could be money sourced from the playground grants scheme to help.

Cllr Tom Prendeville (FF) said that he feels that a “town the size of Kil- rush should have another playground. Could we look at developing one in Vandeleur?”’

Cllr Christy O’Malley (FF) said that “it should be a stipulation that when new developments are being

built they should include recreation ELOVU BIBL oy

In reply to Cllr O’Looney’s mo- tion, council officials said that the council “is in the process of seeking quotations from suppliers of play- eround equipment to replace existing equipment that is in poor condition and improve the overall layout and presentation of the play facilities at Cappa.”

When she asked whether this would be done in time for the sum- mer school holidays, Cllr Deirdre Culligan (Ind) was told by Town Clerk, Fiona Mooney, that this was the plan.

“With any contract, we are depend- ent on suppliers and how fast they can provide things but it is our inten- tion to go ahead as fast as possible”, she said.

THE SILVER key and citation which were given to one of Kilrush’s most respected citizens for service to the people are to be handed back to the council.

With the sad demise of Maura Na- gle, daughter of long serving town council member, Tom Nagle, Coun- cillor Tom Prendeville (FF) said the family had approached him to or- ganise the return of the key and cita- tion “for safe keeping and they ask only that the items be put on public display beside his photograph in the council chamber as a reminder of the civic-minded spirit of the man from Moore Street.”

Cllr Prendeville proposed that the council express it’s appreciation of the gesture to the family.

Paying tribute to the late town councillor, Cllr Prendeville said that Cllr Nagle, whose family carried on a bakery in Moore Street for many generations, entered public life as war clouds gathered over Europe in 1914. As a representative of the La- bour Party, he secured 452 first pref- AES CC O) ony

In November 1916, Tom Nagle along with Cllr Thomas Ryan were appointed delegates to an All-Ireland convention for the establishment of a Political Prisoners Amnesty As- sociation.

The town council was dissolved in May 1924 following “a sworn inquiry into the financial affairs

of local bodies in the county’, Cllr Prendeville said.

Cllr Nagle was in public life when members of Clare County Council were appointed to administer the af- fairs of the town during this period. One of their decisions was to buy the Town Hall for £275 and the Bridewell for £100.

The late Labour councillor became first citizen in 1930 on the proposal of Cllr Michael McMahon and he lost the chairmanship to the same Cllr McMahon in 1935.

Tom Nagle again became chair- man in 1941, a distinction which he repeated in 1945.

“After 31 years of glorious service to his town, Tom bowed out of public life in 1945,” Cllr Prendeville said.

Independent Cllr Jack Fennel said he remembers Cllr Nagle, who was personally known to his father.

‘He was a gentleman and a fine man. His bracks were famous – they would feed a family of 15.”

Cllr Prendeville explained that with the sad demise of Maura Nagle, the direct family line was no more and members of the Black family were now offering the key and the citation back to the council

Mayor Tom Clyne (Ind) said it was a “lovely gesture” on behalf of the family to hand the memorabilia pee

It was agreed that the family would be invited in to the council’s May meeting for the handover to take jo eleren

OVERCROW DING and hygiene is- sues were highlighted as the main cause of the outbreak of the super bug C-diff at Ennis General Hospi- tal last year, which led to 46 people contacting the highly contagious dis- Creston

According to the “Review of In- creased Identification of Clostridium difficile at Ennis General Hospital 2007” the female medical ward was identified as an area of particular concern.

The bedpan washer leaked, broke down and required maintenance callouts during the early part of 2007, and at times bedpans were hand washed. This problem was not KON UECerOMENNLBD ERLE Elon

Occupancy levels on the Female Medical Ward ranged from a high of 105.9 per cent in February to a low of 99 per cent in May.

“There has been ongoing concerns re hygiene levels at the hospital,’ said the report.

While admitting that infection con- trol nurses raised ongoing concerns about the level of background C diff in the hospital, the report said ad- herence to many of these had been patchy with practical difficulties in implementing appropriate patient isolation, adherence to antibiotic prescription guidelines and poor at- tendance by support staff at infection control training sessions.

There was no hospital Infection Prevention and Control Committee in place from September 2006, and

although one was set up in December 2007 it still does not have input from a consultant medical microbiologist or an infectious disease consultant.

While there was some awareness of an increased level of C diff in the hospital in early 2007, the extent of the problem was not appreciated 1in1- tially by either management or clini- cal staff at the hospital, many of who considered MRSA or Norovirus a bigger threat.

The report stated that the absence of the Director of Nursing on special assignment from March until Oc- tober, the absence on sick leave of the Female Medical Ward Manager April 2006 to April 2007 and the ab- sence on annual leave of the Infec- tion Control Nurse from April 9 to April 23 may have contributed to the delay in taking definitive action in relation to the increase in cases. The situation was not declared as an out- break and an Outbreak Control Team was not convened.

“A range of actions were taken which are likely to have contribut- ed to curtailing the level of C. dif- ficile in the hospital,” according to the report. “These included: raising awareness with consultant and nurs- ing staff verbally and in writing, ad- ditional intensive cleaning, improved hand hygiene facilities, increased ed- ucation and training on hand hygiene and infection control, renewed focus on appropriate antibiotic prescribing. Disposable curtains were introduced in one area of the hospital and their use extended subsequently to other areas of the hospital.”

NURSES at Ennis General Hospi- tal, where an unprecedented spike in cases of Clostridium Difficile was detected in early 2007, have criti- cised hospital management for fail- ing to act on concerns expressed over a number of years regarding over- crowding and understaffing at the hospital.

An investigation was launched last October after a surge in the inci- dence of C diff was picked up during

routine laboratory surveillance. The matter was investigated by two sen- ior HSE doctors who published their findings on Thursday.

The report confirmed that 46 pa- tients were diagnosed with the po- tentially fatal bug during the first six months of 2007. Of those, 15 died within 30 days of being diagnosed while another six are now known to have died up to the end of 2007.

The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) has welcomed publication of the report but expressed disappoint-

ment that issues raised by frontline staff had not been communicated to the senior doctors who carried out the investigation.

INO industrial relations officer Mary Fogarty said, “Members of the Irish Nurses Organisation at Ennis General Hospital had, in the last number of years, consistently highlighted to hospital management many of the critical contributing factors which caused a high level of Clostridium Difficile at the hospital from January to May 2007.

On a regular basis, when meetings were held with management, nurses advised that putting extra beds in front of sinks was causing the spread of infection as hand washing by staff was prohibited; overcrowding on the two medical wards was leading to very high risk of cross infection between patients and that a chronic shortage of nursing staff on two medical wards was detrimental to patient care.”

Ms Fogarty added, “A report, un- dertaken by nurses at the hospital

and Leeds University in April 2007, identified the need for 26 additional nurses and health care assistants. The additional staff have not been appointed and the INO has referred this matter to the Labour Court for implementation.”

“We are disappointed that the con- cerns of nursing staff, which were raised consistently with local man- agement over the last 3 or 4 years, were not made available by hospital management to Dr Hynes and Dr Kelleher’, Mary Fogarty added.

AMONG the recommendation made by the HSE in its attempt to ensure the outbreak of C diff last year is not repeated is the development of Ennis General Hospital.

The health authority made this statement just day after it admitted that the €39 million development project was shelved for at least 12 peepee else

In total 46 patients mainly elderly females were infected during the first

half of 2007 with the disease.

Many of those were diagnosed with a particularly virulent and highly transmissible strain PCR _ ribotypr O27 of the disease.

The damming report into the out- break recommended that the Execu- tive Management Team (EMT) of the hospital must regularly receive information about incidence and trends in healthcare associated infec- tions in the hospital as has already been agreed.

The EMT must ensure rapid identi-

fication and notification of outbreaks, and the re-established Infection Prevention and Control Committee should meet on a regular basis as had already been agreed previously.

The hospital should designate a senior executive with responsibility for infection control and a named in- dividual should be identified in each ward or clinical area with responsi- bility for implementing recommen- dations on hygiene and infection control and prevention.

Dedicated sessions of a consultant

microbiologist should be identified for the hospital and the planned pro- eramme of upgrading hand-washing facilities should proceed as a matter of urgency.

There should be an intensive pro- eramme of hand hygiene education and training of all staff followed by audits of compliance with good prac- tice and there should be a systematic programme of infection control edu- cation.

“Guidelines on appropriate an- tibiotic prescribing need to be re-

inforced and their implementation monitored,” it said.

‘The hospital needs to ensure effec- tive isolation for those patients who pose a potential or actual high risk of infection to others. The practice of ‘cohort nursing’ of infected patients on open wards must be reviewed and should be stopped for patients with undiagnosed diarrhoea. Accuracy of death certification – where ever ap- propriate the death certificate should include HCAIs (Health Care associ- ated infection).

PLANS have been lodged for a fur- ther 226 homes in the eastern out- skirts of Ennis, bringing the poten- tial number of new homes in the area to almost one thousand.

One of the country’s biggest home builders, McInerney Homes Ltd, has lodged plans for a €56 million devel- opment at Knockaderry, Roslevan.

The McInerney Homes application joins that of Crystal Partners for al- most 700 homes at Gaurus.

The first phase of the Crystal appli- cation is for 471 homes in a site that takes up 75 per cent of the Gaurus townland.

The McInerney Homes application consists of 136 semi-detached, 24 detached and 66 terraced homes.

Yesterday, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said that the applications were pre- mature when the current infrastruc- ture deficit in Ennis was taken into account.

“I believe that these applications are premature and I wonder if they are just kite flying exercises by the developers.”

Cllr Meaney said that the environ- ment minister, John Gormley, was to shortly introduce a new green paper

on local government to ensure that unsustainable development would not be permitted.

A site nearby to that of McInerney Homes was, last year, the subject of a Finn Properties application for 100 homes. The town council re- fused planning permission to due limitations of the town’s sewerage system. The council partly granted Finn Properties permission to extend Oakleigh Woods by 51 homes. Per- mission for 115 others was refused because of the sewerage constraints.

In an internal memo recommend- ing refusal, Town Engineer, Tom Tiernan said, “While I have no ob- jection in principle to the overall pro- posal it is impossible to approve it in its entirety at this stage.

“With a view to being in a position to accommodate development to a very limited degree at various loca- tions throughout the town, it won’t be possible to consider approval for this CCAVoaleyeyentooelmpes limo) 11N0Ko A Ae

has learned that plans to have the project finished be- fore the 2007 tourist summer season have now been scrapped.

Instead the developments’ will continue on the Lahinch lifeguard centre, which is due for completion in mid-June, with all other majors works to be suspended until after the tourism season.

“A number of brand new designs have now been shown to the council- lors and among those there are two or three realistic possibilities.

“The developers must now consult with private stake holders such as Lahinch Golf Club, Seaworld and

the Lahinch Playground committee,” said local councillor Martin Conway GnGoF

“We can’t at this point go public on the specifics of the options but what we saw was totally new.

“The councillors made observa- tions but we reserved any judgement until after the developer spoke with the interested local parties.”

It was, however, confirmed that some minor works would be carried out on the much delayed project over the summer.

“We felt that significant progress had been made in the last number of weeks. We are now three weeks into the building work on the lifeguard centre which is expected to take three months, so that should be completed before the height of the summer sea- son,’ continued Cllr Conway.

“Some minor works will be car- ried out throughout the summer and I would hope for major developments to start this autumn.