12 hospitals risk losing 24-hour A&E units

UP TO 12 acute hospitals around the country could lose their 24-hour A&E service, following a review of activity levels by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

Included on the list of potential casualties is the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork, which re-opened its A&E just last December following a €5 million upgrade.

Following a review of emergency departments and out-of-hours surgery at each of the hospitals, the HSE is recommending that A&Es be replaced “by a combination of minor injury clinics and medical assessment units (MAUs)” in the majority of the hospitals studied. The minor injury clinics would operate from 8am-8pm.