The only Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI) Assessment and Transitional Living Unit in the South East region, set up in 1999 and based in Clonmel, is to close and staff have been left without any communication from the HSE, according to South Tipperary Independent TD, Mattie McGrath this week.

Last Thursday week, Senior Management within the HSE Disability Services visited Sli Eile and announced that the Transitional Living Unit was to be closed as part of the service plan for the South East and Staff are to be redeployed to Damien House. The Staff have had no further communication to date from the HSE with regards to when their positions in Sli Eile will terminate.

“This is more of the bully boy tactics from the HSE. Senior management informed staff that the ABI Services are to close just hours before the plans were announced as part of the Service Plan for the South East Region and despite promises that Management would be engaging with staff regarding the impact of the decision, staff have received no further communication from Management.” Said Deputy McGrath

“The Staff were basically told this service is closing, just move on. What about the service users and where are these services going to be transferred to? The HSE cannot continue with these slash and burn tactics without accountability. They are answerable to no-one and their lack of accountability is getting worse rather than better under this administration.”