The Week: Housing, Heartbreak and a Hospital Honoured
We're looking back at some news and show highlights on KCLR for this past week
You’re reading The Week on KCLR, highlighting some of the stories you may have missed on-air and online.
Housing was very much a talking point this week with Minister Darragh O’Brien visiting Kilkenny while IT Carlow’s Students’ Union was represented at a protest at Dáil Éireann on Thursday night.
We heard of one local father’s heartbreak following the early loss of his daughter while there was good news too for St Luke’s Hospital for Carlow and Kilkenny when it was victorious at the Health Service Excellence Awards.
A Carlow filmmaker’s directorial debut in the form of a documentary on Champagne was released in Irish cinemas and South Kilkenny’s to get an extra service which the Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler’s been talking us through.
As always, you can join our news team across the day, seven days a week, read the stories on kclr96fm.com and kclrfanzone.com or take us with you on the KCLR app.
Housing
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien arrived in Kilkenny on Thursday morning to officially open some new homes in Castlecomer and Kilkenny City while also doing the honours at a key piece of infrastructure that will pave the way for more (see here).
Our Sinéad Burke met with him and others on the local tour – more on that here – while you can hear her report on The Way It Is with Sue Nunn that evening here:
A Daughter’s Death
On Easter Monday 2016, 36-year-old Tracey Campbell-Fitzpatrick from Nurney in Co Carlow died at St Luke’s General Hospital in Kilkenny after a ‘massive’ postpartum haemorrhage shortly after she gave birth to son Max.
Her father James Campbell joined our Eimear Ní Bhraonáin on KCLR Live:
The Ireland East Hospital Group issued the following statement in response:
“Prior to the publication of the HIQA report into Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in St Luke’s General Hospital Carlow/Kilkenny, which was published in 2019, where several issues with the service were identified and recommendations made, significant work improvements have been made in the delivery of care to women in St Luke’s General Hospitals maternity unit. Hospital management and the Ireland East Hospital Group have worked closely with the maternity unit to address all issues raised through consultation and reviews which were undertaken with staff and patients with immediate actions taken to implement a robust structure to provide safety assurance for all patients.
Significant steps have been taken to improve all aspects of maternity/obstetric services with the addition of further specialist midwifery staff and a newly appointed Consultant Obstetrician to the service.
St Luke’s General Hospital, Kilkenny endeavours to provide the highest standard of care to all women who attend at the maternity unit and we would like to apologise to any woman who did not receive the standard of care to be expected. The hospital, along with the Ireland East Hospital Group are committed to continuously monitoring and working with the hospital and staff, listening to patients to ensure that safe, quality care is being provided to all patients attending the hospital.
All Maternity Hospitals and Units, which includes St Luke’s General Hospital Carlow/Kilkenny publish their safety statements on a monthly basis. All national maternity data (mortality and morbidity) is being monitored and further information can be found on the links provided below:
National Women & Infants Health Programme – HSE.ie
Irish maternity Indicator System National Report 2020 (hse.ie)
NWIHP National Reports – HSE.ie
Perinatal Mortality Reports and Forms | University College Cork (ucc.ie)
Sparkling: The Story of Champagne
The directorial debut of a Carlow filmmaker opened in Irish cinemas this week.
‘Sparkling: The Story of Champagne’ examines the controversial theory that the English actually ‘discovered’ the drink decades before Dom Perignon exclaimed “I can taste the stars.”
The film features Stephen Fry and some big names from the world of champagne including Taittinger heiress, Vitalie Taittinger, JAY Z-owned Armand de Brignac and Brad Pitt’s newly launched Champagne Fleur de Miraval.
Ahead of the screenings, The Saturday Show’s Edward Hayden was joined by local man Frank Mannion to find out more:
Minister for Mental Health
We heard recently on KCLR News how 120,000 people across South Kilkenny and Waterford are to benefit from a new Crisis Resolution Team pilot scheme that’s also been rolled out in Dublin & Cork cities. (More here).
On Thursday morning, Minister for Mental Health Mary Butler joined our Eimear Ní Bhraonáin on KCLR Live to discuss this and more – hear that here:
Winning Ways
There was good news for St Luke’s General Hospital for Carlow and Kilkenny this week following word that one of its projects shortlisted for a Health Service Excellence Award was victorious.
It was among the finalists in two categories but came out top for its (see here).
Some of those involved in the Travellers Working Group joined our Sue Nunn on The Way It Is for a chat about the win and what got them there:
Catch Up
There’s plenty more from across the week here on KCLR.
You’ll find our news stories here while regular key features from programmes covering a range of topics, including travel, fitness, health care, as well as repeats of our talk shows and more can be found in our Catch Up section.
Best of all, you can read and listen to everything in the KCLR app.
