HSE urged to halt closure

THE mid-west Health Service Executive has been requested to suspend the proposed closure of a high-dependency unit at Ennis Hospital on March 1, along with other centralisation proposals, pending the completion of an independent review.

Dr John Hillery has sought a halt to the reconfiguration of health services in the mid-west over concerns by local health professionals and patients.

He claimed the policy was resulting in local services being reduced at Ennis Hospital before resources had been put in place to operate the changed services, resulting in patient safety being compromised.