Call to clarify future of A&E clinic

THE refusal of the HSE to make a commitment to the future of the minor injuries A&E clinic at St John’s Hospital in Limerick was condemned yesterday.

Fine Gael’s Kieran O’Donnell claimed fears existed about the future of the facility and he wants the HSE to clear up the uncertainty.

Mr O’Donnell said the future of the only A&E hospital service in the city centre at St John’s Hospital was due to be known this month

The clinic, which operates on a five-day basis, treats more than 20,000 people a year for minorinjuries. It has taken huge pressure off the main A&E department at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, which handles more than 1,000patients a week.

Mr O’Donnell said he was recently advised in writing by John Hennessy, hospitals’ network manager of the HSE, that the long-awaited Teamwork/Horwath group consultants’ report on the review of acute hospital services provision in the mid-west — including St John’s — was due for submission to the HSE later this month.

He said: “This report was expected to be published eight month ago in August and I have continued to raise this matter in the Dáil over the past six months. I first put down a Dáil question on the matter to the Minister for Health Mary Harney for reply on October 17 last, as she was continuing to abdicate responsibility to the HSE.”

Mr O’Donnell said the present response was on foot of formal letters sent in January last to Ms Harney, along with HSE chief executive Professor Brendan Drumm and HSE chairman Liam Downey demanding “an immediate commitment” from them that the present level of A&E services would be maintained at St John’s Hospital.

He said: “I drew their attention to the fact that St John’s A&E department caters for approximately 20,000 patients and provides a vital service to the people of Limerick and the mid-west area in an efficient manner. Furthermore, I stressed that with the closure of Barrington’s Hospital back in 1988, St John’s Hospital provides the only city centre based A&E service and not only should the current level of such services be maintained, but, indeed should be enhanced.”

Mr O’Donnell said the delay in clearing the air about St John’s had created a growing uncertainty forpatients and staff at the hospital.