HSE break-even plan ‘will hit taxpayers’

THE Health Service Executive’s (HSE) decision to close the orthopaedic department at Our Lady’s Hospital in Co Meath, during December as part of their “break-even” plan will result in taxpayers paying more for patients to be treated in private hospitals, nurses warned yesterday.

The Navan hospital is the main orthopaedic centre for the north-east. Around 200 people undergo elective procedures at the orthopaedic unit every month but the HSE has claimed that only six patients had procedures booked for December.

The health authority also pointed out that the department was ahead of procedures set for the year, with 1,603 elective procedures performed at the end of September of which 331 were major joint replacements.

It said that every year around Christmas there was a reduction in demand for elective orthopaedic services and pointed out that the unit closed completely for the month of December last year.

According to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF), however, average waiting times for procedures at the unit are around four months for hip replacements and two months for knee replacements.

If a public patient is waiting over three months on a public hospital in-patient waiting list for an operation they can contact the NTPF to discuss options for treatment in a private hospital.

Deputy general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) Dave Hughes said it made no sense to stop procedures at the unit in December that would remain fully staffed throughout the month.

“While the move may help the HSE to break even at the end of the year, taxpayers will end up paying more because some of the patients will opt to be treated in private hospitals under the NTPF,” he said.

Fine Gael’s Damien English said staff at the unit had been offered annual leave during the closure or to move to the acute hospital in Drogheda as back-up staff.

“This demonstrates how illogical the HSE’s recruitment ban is with valuable resources wasted in the name of savings,” he said.

Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Brian Cowen insisted again yesterday that the health service must live within its budget.

Labour TDs Jan O’Sullivan and Tommy Broughan had called for a supplementary estimate.

Operations have been cancelled at Cavan General Hospital as a result of a consultant going on leave with no replacement appointed.

A 17-bed surgical ward at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick was re-opened last week after staffing forced it to shut for a week causing 50 surgical procedures to be cancelled.