Parents angry over failure to fit out cardiac unit

A PARENTS’ support group for children with congenital heart defects is furious at the delay in fitting out a new cardiac out-patients’ department in the national children’s hospital.

Last September Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney officially opened a new five-storey medical facility at Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin. The

€14 million Medical Tower, where complex medical problems can be managed without having to bring patients into hospital, has been open for almost a year.

About 90% of the cost was met through corporate donations and fundraising but another €3m was needed to fit out the fifth floor where the cardiac out-patients’ department will be located.

Heart Children Ireland chairman Mike Foley said the floor should have been fitted out earlier and is angry that a decision to seek to appoint a design team was only made during the last week of 2005.

Mr Foley felt that the matter should have been given more urgency. “For something that everybody agrees on, it really has taken too long,” he said.

Since the report into the death of Róisín Ruddle in 2003 was published last February the hospital has appointed a new cardiologist and surgeon and increased the number of paediatric nurse specialists.

Róisín died, aged two, on July 1, 2003, one day after surgery for a congenital heart defect was deferred at the hospital.

She had been sent home to Ballingarry, Co Limerick, because of a shortage of intensive care nurses.

The report into her death was severely critical of management for failing to address an anticipated shortage of intensive care nurses.

The hospital, however, has refused to answer questions on the matter or to expand on the progress made in implementing the reports’ recommendations.

Mr Foley said, while more specialist nurses had been appointed, he felt the rate of change was not good enough since the Ruddle report was published.

Both surgical and out-patient waiting lists were increasing and a consequent increase in risk was obvious, he said.

“Only 1%-2% of children may require surgical intervention. It is critical that all facilities are used to the maximum,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, the New Crumlin Hospital Group which is campaigning for a new national children’s hospital is urging the Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney to fast-track the matter next year.

One of the main drivers of the project is Professor Brendan Drumm, a former paediatrician at the hospital, who now heads the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Prof Drumm said the HSE was examining whether it would be in the best interests of services to locate complicated surgery at one children’s hospital in Dublin.

He hopes to give a report to Ms Harney on the organisation of paediatric services by the end of January.

The group said they would be really happy if the minister could tell them that the new hospital would be ready by 2010.