Tús Nua protest in Ballymun

CLIENTS of a vital mental health service in Ballymun held a protest outside the Civic Centre on Mail Street last week in an effort to save it from closure.

The Tús Nua Day Centre in Ballymun Shopping Centre is set to close in September and clients are to be assessed and moved to alternative facilities on the Northside.

However, some of the clients have mobility problems and say they won’t be able to get to services outside the area, as they can’t use public transport.

The decision to close the centre was taken on the recommendation of a review group established by the HSE’s Dublin north city mental health management team.

The review group reported that the day centre was old and in poor condition, with only one fire exit, no lift access and that the shutters on the front window couldn’t be opened due to security concerns.

The HSE say the lease on these premises has also expired and, due to the regeneration plan for Ballymun, it cannot be renewed.

An Implementation Group under the Chairmanship of Dr Guy Molyneax, Clinical Director will be established over the coming weeks and independent assessments of the clients carried out.

“This assessment of needs will inform the process going forward and will ensure that the needs of service users continue to be met,

? a spokesperson for the HSE said.

Local TD, John Lyons (Lab) says the needs of the service users must come first and is calling for the centre to be relocated in the area.

“These are people who are so isolated from the general well-being of society that getting on a bus is as traumatic as can be,

? he said.

“If the HSE is putting the needs of service users first, it will take into account that these are the genuine needs of many service users. It is not that they will not, it is that they cannot.