World Mental Health Day: Omagh calls for promises to be honoured

MORE than 15 years after then Health Minister Michael McGimpsey promised new acute mental health and addiction facilities for Omagh, patients are still being admitted to the outdated Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital.

Today (Thursday) marks World Mental Health Day, and the theme this year is ‘shining a light on one of the most pressing issues affecting modern workplaces: Burnout’.

In the run-up to this year’s World Mental Health Day, local politicians have renewed their efforts to put pressure on the Department of Health to honour its promise to replace Lime Ward, Elm Ward and Asha Centre.

Trade union representative, and veteran mental health nurse, Andy McKane has also highlighted how a failure on the part of Stormont to keep good its long-held commitment to the county town is having an adverse affect on the people who staff local mental health facilities and addiction clinics.

Northern Ireland Mental Health Champion, Professor Siobhán O’Neill, recently met with a local council committee, during which she pledged to support a local drive to have new mental health and addiction facilities built in Omagh.

At the invite of the Cllr Barry McElduff, chair of Fermanagh and Omagh’s Community Planning Strategic Partnership, Professor O’Neill travelled to the district to hear from local representatives.

Failure

During the meeting, Cllr McElduff highlighted the Department of Health’s failure to build the promised, new acute mental health unit in Omagh.

Upon hearing the case made by the local Sinn Féin representative, Professor O’Neill agreed to help champion this cause in her dealings with the Department of Health.

Reflecting on the engagement, Cllr McElduff said, Overall, the Community Planning Partnership believes that the mental health strategy must be properly resourced and fully implemented to ensure access to high quality local services and crucially early intervention.

“Personally, it is my strong belief that the physical environs of Elm and Lime Wards and of other mental health accommodation in Omagh is completely outdated.

“There is an absolute requirement for a new capital build, a new purpose-built mental health unit to be constructed in the grounds of the Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex which was officially opened seven years ago this very week.

“It was always intended that a new, fit-for-the-future mental health unit would be built there on a site which is specifically earmarked and serviced for this facility.

“The southern sector of the Western Health Trust is in dire need of this facility. This area serves the Omagh area, other parts of Tyrone and the whole of County Fermanagh.”

He added, “The need is there. The funding has to be ring-fenced for this unit without delay.”