Hospital officials sound warning over ‘patient capping’ plans

SENIOR officials at Cork University Hospital have raised concerns that the facility’s oncology service could be put under severe pressure if any cap on the number of oncology outpatients seen at Mercy University Hospital is introduced.

Due to financial constraints being imposed on the system, the latest CUH board meeting minutes noted that a series of initiatives are being considered in Cork in an attempt to bring down oncology drug expenses in the region.

The potential plans include an audit of oncology drug use — which has increased in cost by 50% since 2005, in Cork, the centralisation of a pharmacy service in the city centre, and the possible capping of the number of outpatients seen at Mercy University Hospital’s oncology unit.

However, while the matter is still being considered, Dr Seamus O Reilly, consultant medical oncologist at CUH, told the September board meeting any potential capping at MUH would lead to a serious increase in the number of patients requiring treatment at CUH.

And with further strain being placed on the existing service as a result, the expert added that if patient capping was introduced, it could cause further difficulties for the hospital and its patients.

Jan O Sullivan, Labour health spokeswoman, said the issue was a sign that hospitals were increasingly having to focus on budgets and cost-containing initiatives instead of treating patients.

And pointing to similar concerns in other parts of the country, she claimed that the HSE reforms were failing to improve the service.

“Money is now so tight right now that hospitals are focusing on their budgets more often than not.

“There is a similar situation in Beaumont in Dublin, where they are treating patients from the North East who are outside their catchment area because of cutbacks...

“Beaumont and other hospitals shouldn’t have to treat patients that are outside their area because services aren’t being properly funded,” she said. In recent months, the overcrowding pressures apparent at Beaumont hospital in Dublin have been further increased because of a policy of hospitals in the north east referring patients to the facility because of a lack of services in the region.

Other hospitals in Dublin, such as St James’s and the Adelaide and Meath hospital in Tallaght, have refused to accept patient referrals as a result of the increased demands they place on existing patient levels.