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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.

FACTORY workers are being asked to play a role in ensuring Shannon is kept clean and neat this summer.

In advance of the tidy towns com- mittee’s Annual General Meeting tonight (Tuesday), the chairperson has appealed for more people to get involved in the group.

A core group of five people run the committee and chairperson Tess Bar- ry is hopeful that this can increase.

‘There are a lot of projects on hand this year. We are hoping to encour-

age more people to get involved,” said Ms Barry.

Ms Barry, who was one of the founders of the tidy towns committee in 1973, said that parts of the town have been plagued by litter over the years but things have improved in re- Ton Bb Nel eAy

“The litter issue has improved im- mensely, but we still have blackspots and we are going to address those,” she said.

“Litter has been our big problem. We are very grateful to the council for the work it is doing in improving

the footpaths. The last phase of the street signs will soon be put in place and we are very happy with that,” she said.

She also paid tribute to the town’s residents groups, who play a vital role in ensuring the town is looking good.

“We would never manage without the residents associations. We are also grateful to the offer made to us by McDonald’s to help in the clean- ups this year, having helped out last year,’ she said.

The local youth clubs — the Chris-

tian leadership movement and the Shannon Youth Office — and the stu- dents of St Patrick’s Comprehensive School have also pledged to help out with the clean-ups this year.

“We are hoping that a few of the industrialists will come on board and lend a hand with a few projects,” added Ms Barry.

The AGM will take place in the Alley Diner at the Shannon Knights Inn at 7.30pm tonight. For informa- tion phone Ms Barry on 061 362241 or the PRO Olive Bowen on O61 See

THE significance of Dr Hillery’s period as Minister for Education is often overlooked with credit for the modernisation of learning in Ire- land more commonly attributed to his flamboyant successor, Donagh O’ Malley.

However, Hillery, a man of im- mense intellect with a radical vision of Ireland’s future social and eco-

nomic possibilities, set out a blue- print which the energetic and forceful O’Malley prosecuted to full effect.

The extent of Hillery’s social radi- calism can be seen in a fascinating address he made to the Dail on March 23, 1960, in which he signalled his resolve to shift Irish education policy in an egalitarian direction.

His belief that the second-level system was regressive was captured in a simple but profound objective:

“Every child of sufficient talent, be they poor or rich, in any type of school should have the opportunity of climbing right to the top of the educational ladder.

“The nation needs the services of all the talent it can find.”

Hillery identified what he called “a missing rung in our educational lad- der” which denied advanced learning to those of a vocational orientation.

His idea would soon turn concrete

with the construction of the first of the country’s regional technical col- efexere

He went on to dismiss arguments against pouring money into Ireland’s under-funded universities lest it lead to too many graduates; casting aside pessimism he countered that invest- ment was “a calculated risk we must take if we believe that the country has a future”.

Later, as the first Minister for La-

bour, Hillery underpinned the link between education and Irish eco- nomic growth by instigating a policy founded on the idea that the State should help people to obtain the skills to avoid or climb out of unem- jo) Keyyaneteael

For this and other major aspects of Ireland’s educational infrastructure that have helped build the country to what it is today, Dr Hillery deserves Keeble

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.”

THE Brothers of Charity and the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club will benefit from the proceeds of this year’s Mayor’s Ball in Shan- nee

The ball will be one of Fine Gael councillor Sean McLoughlin’s final functions as mayor of the town, be- fore he completes his one-year term in office. He is due to be succeeded by Independent councillor Gerry Flynn as mayor, in June.

Each year, the mayor picks one or more charities of his choice, who will receive the proceeds of the ball. Last year’s mayor, Labour councillor Tony McMahon chose Clare Haven, which provides support for female victims of domestic abuse.

This year, Cllr McLoughlin picked

two charities which he feels are de- serving of funds. The ball will take place at the Oakwood Arms Hotel on May 17.

“It 1s one way for the mayor to show his appreciation to the people by lending his name to this event to raise money for people in need,’ said SY la Retell ite

“We did look at a lot of local chari- ties in Shannon. We felt these groups were deserving of the money,” he SHIGE

According to the mayor, the Broth- ers of Charity money will go towards providing respite for children with special needs in Shannon.

Chairman of the Shannon Flyers Special Olympics Club, Frank Fit- zgerald, said his organisation de- pends on local financial assistance. He is delighted his group has been

chosen by the mayor.

The club caters for up to 20 athletes, ranging in age from six to 16.

“We are going to use the money to buy new tracksuits and gear for the athletes. Our athletes will take part in the regionals in Cork in May and June and some of the money will also be used for that,’ he said.

“We need funding and the local organisations keep us going. Funds are an important part of any club,” he said.

Mr Fitzgerald said that allied to funds, the availability of volunteers is essential to the existence of the club.

‘The Special Olympics is a one-on- one club. Volunteers are stretched. We need between six and eight vol- unteers every week. While we are lucky in Shannon, we are always

looking for volunteers to help out,” he said.

He pointed out that the club, which has been in existence for the past five years, 1S consistently expand- ing and caters for children not just from Shannon, but from all over the county.

“The club is growing. We need more bodies on board,” he said.

The club meets and trains every Saturday morning at Shannon leisure centre, between 10am and Ilam. An- yone wishing to get involved should contact Frank on 086 2557001.

THE Clare farming industry faces a €70,000 obliteration next month if the predicted 70 per cent cut in beef import tariff’s 1s sanctioned by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). That is the opinion of the IFA’s Chief Economist, Clareman Con Lu- cey, who predicts that beef output in the county will be halved in the tariff is scrapped. Beside the loss in pro- duction, this could see a mass exodus from the sector which employs al- most 5,000 people in the county. “Europe is a much higher cost re-

210n to produce in than sectors such as south America. Besides that, Eu- ropean farmers have to operate un- der much tighter health and safety conditions that farmers in other re- gions. This creates a problem if we are competing directly with places where conditions are not enforced,” said Mr Lucey.

“According to our calculations, this new tariff will bring the price of beef down to around €2 per kilogram. Where as the cost of production in Ireland is now €3 per kilogram. It would make no economic since to keep producing under these condi-

ney nce

A WTO Ministerial meeting is due to take place in mid May where a res- olution on the long running negotia- tions is expected to be arrived at.

“In terms of Clare we have more than 4,200 suckler herds. This makes Clare very very vulnerable for any proposed cut. We estimate the total farm input in Clare is about €140 million per year. We would ex- pect this to half if the agreement is passed,’ continued Con.

“Clare is a beef dominated county and there isn’t really much of an al- ternative. There is no money in sheep

and the land is not good enough for tillage so there is no alternative for EB Eeilone

“There is starting to be a greater awareness of the quality and tracta- bility of some of this imported foods. We had the ban on Brazilian beef Where most of the exports facilities there have been shut down. Last year then we had bird flu outbreak in the Thailand. One of our particular wor- ries 1s that there 1s little public debate going on on this World Trade Debate so far. This is a hugely serious situa- tion for farmers in Ireland and espe- cially farmers in county Clare.”

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

A WEBSITE, linking those involved in the tourism sector in Shannon, 1s being set up, in an effort to ensure the town benefits more from the in- flux of visitors to the region.

The website is the brainchild of the mayor of Shannon, Councillor Sean McLoughlin (FG), who included the project as one of his aims when he was elected mayor last year.

He feels that tourists coming in to Shannon should spend longer peri- ods of time in the town. He believes that if the incentive was there, tour- ists would spend more than just one night in the town, after they fly into

S)ar-beveeyewausu oeum

He said that positive feedback was generated from a meeting on the is- sue earlier this year.

“There was a good response. We are setting up a dedicated website for Shannon, so that people can stay in Shannon. The idea is to keep peo- ple in Shannon for longer than one night,” he said.

“I feel that people who use the airport generally stay in Shannon for one night. They fly in and are gone the following morning. Shan- non hasn’t been getting its fair share of the trade. We need to let people know we have a town here and nice facilities.

“Shannon is well located. People could take bus and coach tours to places such as the Cliffs of Moher, Ailwee Caves or St John’s Castle in Limerick. Shannon 1s just a half hour drive from those places. It is a good place to base yourself for a couple of days,” he added.

“We are hoping to tie up with all the other agencies in the county. If we can get all the agencies working together, we can all link together,’ he said.

He said the ultimate aim is that the Shannon area will benefit from the establishment of the website.

‘We hope to be able to attract more people into Shannon and that they

can stay longer,’ he stressed.

Among the services he hopes to link through the website include bed and breakfasts, hotels, restaurants, coach and car hire firms and taxis, in Shannon and surrounding areas.

So how will the website work, once it is up and running?

“Anybody involved in tourism in the area is invited to take space on the website,’ he said.

Councillor McLoughlin and Paddy Halton — who was the grand mar- shall at the St Patrick’s Day parade in Shannon last month — have been working on the website and will an- nounce details of its launch within weeks.

MUNSTER’S employment outlook is holding strong according to the latest figures from workforce management solutions, Manpower Ireland.

The survey shows that 11 per cent of Munster employers are predicting they will hire more staff in the com- ing quarter. This is eight per cent up in quarter Over-quarter-results but a decrease of 11 per cent on last year’s JURA Koe

Construction industry employers anticipate an optimistic quarter-over- quarter improvement in hiring activ-

ity with an eight per cent increase during the second quarter of the year, representing a slight decline of three per cent on last year’s figures.

Conducted quarterly, the Man- power Employment Outlook Survey measures employers’ intentions to increase or decrease their workforces and gathers data from 55,199 employ- ers across the world each quarter.

Regional employment is expected to be strongest in Ulster and Mun- ster, both of which recorded an opti- mistic employment outlook of 12 per cent and 11 per cent respectively for the second quarter of the year.

The pharmaceutical industry re- corded the strongest hiring outlook of 21 per cent followed by employers in the transport, storage and commu- nication sector, who are predicting a hiring outlook of 18 per cent over the next three months.

Manpower Ireland Managing Di- rector Jason Kennedy said the results were reassuring for the Irish economy as a whole. In spite of many warnings and gloomy forecasts the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, which speaks to employers directly, has shown that many employers are feel- ing positive about the future growth

of their companies.

Even in the construction industry which has been the focus of much controversy in the last six months, eight per cent of all employers are planning on hiring more staff in the coming quarter.

The percentage of employers ex- pecting to reduce staff in the coming months is in line with the average from previous quarters. This suggests that while the rate of job creation has dropped this will be balanced against the fact that employers are not reduc- ing their respective workforces to any greater extent than before.

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.