Plan to close A&E at Mallow postponed

THE Health Service Executive is abandoning a plan to shut the emergency department at Mallow General Hospital from this month because alternative services are not yet in place.

Earlier this year, the HSE caused consternation in North Cork when it announced its intention to end the 24-hour emergency department (ED) service at Mallow this month as part of the ongoing reconfiguration of hospital services in the south of the country.

However it has now emerged that no closure date has been agreed, forcing the HSE to put on hold its plan to shut the ED and replace it with a 12-hour urgent care centre, which would treat minor injuries.