Cancer hospice re-opens after procedures row closure

THE Galway Hospice in-patient unit, which had been closed since May 2003 because of a bitter row over medication procedures, has re-opened.

The board of the hospice in a very brief statement announced the re-opening yesterday afternoon.

The board said admissions recommenced as of yesterday and that a full consultant-led range of services will be provided under the direction of its Palliative Care Consultant, Dr Dympna Waldron.

The 12-bed in-patient unit was closed after Dr Waldron expressed concerns over the way in which drugs were being dispensed at the centre. This action led to a review which found errors had been made by both medical and nursing staff, and it outlined 65 recommendations aimed at avoiding a recurrence.

Separately, the WHB investigated a series of bullying allegations made by nursing staff against the clinical director.

Efforts to reopen the unit after the review’s publication were delayed when Dr Waldron withdrew from talks before signing off on new protocols.

The consultant continued to fulfil her duties at University College Hospital, Galway, where seriously-ill cancer patients who might have been referred to the hospice were given beds.

Community groups protesting at the hospice’s continued closure said such an acute setting was not suitable for patients requiring palliative care - and this was reiterated just last week by the Irish Nurses’ Organisation.

The hospice was founded in 1986 to provide support and medical care for people with advanced forms of cancer.

It employs a staff of 55 and receives funding of €2.3 million annually from the Western Health Board.