Six A&E units under scrutiny

THE future of six accident and emergency departments in the south of the country will be decided in the next 10 weeks by an expert group.

The 16-person review group, established by the Health Service Executive (HSE), will examine emergency services in Cork and Kerry. &

The group will make recommendations and draw up an action plan for the future delivery of emergency care in the region in the context of HSE proposals to reconfigure hospital services in the South.

The A&E departments which the group will scrutinise as part of the review include Cork University Hospital (CUH); Mallow General Hospital; Bantry General; the Mercy University Hospital; the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital and Kerry General Hospital.

However, the need for the review has been questioned in light of the fact that HSE staff have already completed a review of activity levels at five of the A&Es (with the exception of CUH) and with a recommendation that each be replaced by “a combination a minor injury clinics and medical assessment units in the majority of the hospitals studied”.

The minor injury clinics would operate on an 8am- 8pm basis and the provision of medical assessment units would be determined by the range of acute medical services to be offered in each hospital, according to the pre-existing HSE report.

Yesterday, Labour Party TD Sean Sherlock said the HSE was “playing a tactical game of deliberately trying to confuse the issue of the future of A&Es by foisting report upon report upon the public”.

“They [the HSE] intend to replace emergency services at hospitals such as Mallow and Bantry with minor injury clinics and medical assessment units... The dogs on the street know that, so why don’t they just come out and tell us,” he said

Professor John Higgins, who is leading the reconfiguration of HSE South, will meet with politicians in Leinster House today.