HSE confirms no savings from hospital reconfiguration
In 2009, the HSE initiated the reconfiguration process in the mid-west with the ending of 24-hour A&E at Ennis and Nenagh general hospitals. Since then, acute surgery has also been centralised to Limerick.
In a written response to a question tabled by Cllr Brian Meaney (Green) on the reconfiguration process, the HSE states that “the next stage in the reconfiguration programme is the implementation of a new model of care for acute medical patients”.
The HSE state: “It is envisaged that the acute medical model will be implemented in the mid-west early next year. It is recognised now that best practice in cardiology would recommend that all patients with acute coronary disease should be brought directly to a centralised cardiology department.”
On the impact of A&E services at Ennis and Limerick, the figures show that in the six months of last year when compared with the corresponding figure for 2008, there was a 43% reduction in attendances going from 8,929 to 5,071 at the Ennis A&E department and this compares with a 5.4% increase at Limerick’s A&E department during the same period
The HSE confirms that three new A&E consultants have started in a region-wide department of emergency medicine in the last six months which brings the total consultant compliment to five.
It goes on: “In addition to this nursing staff are being redeployed to this department continuously to ensure a safe level of staffing is maintained. Advanced Nurse Practitioner site preparation has been completed across the region. Two Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) have just qualified in the Mid–West Regional Hospital, Limerick.”
In relation to the overhaul of medicine, the HSE response states: “Two physicians in the mid-west are leading out on the formulation of the medical model for the mid-west hospital group.” The HSE confirms “bed capacity reduced by 24 in-patient beds during 2009 with the reconfiguration of surgical services”.
