GPs voice no confidence vote in HSE South over staffing

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) was yesterday given two weeks to fund a surgical post at an acute hospital or face public protests.

GPs from north Cork spoke out and said they no longer have confidence in the HSE South’s hospital management team following recent decisions on staffing and funding affecting the 76-bed Mallow General Hospital (MGH).

The hospital, which has a 24-hour accident and emergency unit, was forced last week to suspend weekend surgical cover after the HSE refused to continue funding a third surgical post.

Speaking at a press conference in Mallow, local GP Dr David Moloney said that was “the last straw”.

Of the 12 consultants attending MGH, only five hold permanent positions and the loss of one of three surgical posts is putting lives at risk, he said.

“This has prompted a ‘vote of no confidence’ by the local medical profession in HSE South hospital management,” he said.

“This decision has far reaching implications for MGH as it can no longer have full surgical consultant cover 24/7.

“Our primary aim as doctors is to tend to and advocate for the needs of our patients. The function of management is to support those delivering the care.”

He said they want the immediate appointment of a third surgeon, the establishment of an in-house management system and the restoration of a local board of management.

Retired consultant anaesthetist Dr Patrick Thorpe said the HSE’s failure to appoint a radiographer last year to operate the idle CT scanner resulted in an outlay of more than €150,000 in transferring patients to Cork University Hospital (CUH).

It would have cost just €70,000 to appoint a senior radiographer, he said.

There were 654 patient referrals to CUH for CT scans involving up to five daily transfers by ambulance.

“The knock-on effect of this arrangement is that an already overstretched ambulance service is not available when urgently required — not to mention the cost,” Newmarket-based GP Dr Bertie Troy said.

Labour TD Sean Sherlock, the secretary of the MGH Action Committee, described the HSE’s stance as a “deliberate campaign to wind down acute services at the hospital”.

“People are angry at the way in which the hospital is being mismanaged and a vote of no confidence is an expression of the community’s opposition to what’s going on,” he said.

“We will take to the streets to prevent any further downgrading of our hospital.”

But the HSE rejected claims it was trying to downgrade the hospital and said its budget was increased by 14% this year to €17.231 million.

“This is the highest increase of any hospital in the HSE South — average increases are 9.5%,” a spokeswoman said.

The HSE is committed to securing approval for the additional surgical post and this is being pursued with CUH, she said.

Meanwhile, two specialist staff have been appointed to operate the CT scanner and the service will start on a phased basis in the coming weeks — scanning between 10 to 15 patients a day.

Discussions to re-establish an executive management board are continuing, she added.