HSE West is to apply for an exemption to the HSE recruitment freeze in order to fill 40 vacant nursing positions and 20 vacant nursing assistant posts at University Hospital Galway (UHG).

Up to now the recruitment freeze and cutbacks had threatened to lead to closures of St Rita's Ward in UHG and both Hospital Two and Unit Four at Merlin Park Hospital. However, senior officials from HSE West said at a meeting of the Hospitals Committee of the Western Regional Health Forum on Monday that there will be no closures.

Galway councillors, who sit on the committee, called the emergency meeting to discuss any cutbacks to be made to front line services. The committee includes councillors from North Tipperary to Donegal, and the Galway councillors had requested at the last meeting that a detailed budget breakdown be provided. However, hospital managers were not present on Monday to provide these details and it was agreed that in future councillors would meet hospital managers on a county-by-county basis.

Mr Alan Moran, Network Manager of HSE Acute Hospitals in the West, confirmed at the meeting that a proposal had been put last Friday to high-level HSE officials that the three units be closed temporarily. However, they agreed that this proposal would not go ahead, and is "no longer on the table".

In a rare moment of good news for the HSE, officials confirmed that they are to apply for an exemption to the recruitment freeze in order to fill 40 nursing posts and 20 nursing assistant positions at UHG. The vacancies were created through "an unusually large number of people" leaving their jobs during September for various reasons, according to Mr Moran.

Galway representatives Cllr Colm Keaveney and Cllr Padraig Conneely both expressed their disappointment that they did not have access to detailed figures or input into the services that would be affected should cutbacks need to be implemented. However, both welcomed the news that none of the threatened wards are to close and that the vacant positions are to be filled. Addressing the meeting, Cllr Conneely said, "I welcome this news, I certainly would support that and I hope it happens."

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