Regional health forum ineffective - cllrs

Local councillors who sit on this region's health forum have agreed with a Kildare councillor who told a meeting last Tuesday he feels like he's wasting his time attending. Kildare Fine Gael councillor Seamus Langan told attendees at the Dublin Mid-Leinster Regional Health Forum meeting that in his two years coming to meetings he hadn't been listened to by the HSE. Offaly's representatives who sit on the same forum are Tommy McKeigue, Peter Ormond and John Foley. Only Cllr McKeigue was in attendance at the same meeting, but he agreed that now councillors have "no input". "We don't meet with anyone," he said. "At the end of the day councillors aren't being listened to." Cllr McKeigue said there isn't enough interaction between service providers, users and councillors. The Offaly Independent contacted Cllr Ormond in the days following the meeting. He said he informed the group two months ago that he was stepping down. He feels the forum membership, which includes councillors from Dublin, Laois, Offaly, Westmeath, Longford, Kildare and Wicklow, is "way too big in terms of geographical region". He described it as a "token guesture by Minister Harney" to keep councillors informed after decisions are made. Offaly's third representative on the forum could not be contacted. Chair of the forum Denis O'Callaghan encouraged members to make submissions before September, when a meeting will be arranged with the Health Minister. "Hopefully we can get more meaningful work," Cllr McKeigue said looking forward.