Cuts to extend waiting list at Munster pain relief clinic

Hundreds of people in need of significant pain relief support are set to see waiting lists surge as a result of health service retirements and budget cutbacks.

The HSE South’s senior management has confirmed patients with a range of debilitating pain issues will be told they must be placed on growing waiting lists or face travelling to Dublin from the end of this month.

This is due to cutbacks at the Waterford Regional Hospital, which include the reduction of Munster’s only public pain relief clinic theatre sessions from two to one per week, along with funding cuts and the retirement of a full-time clinical nurse specialist.

Richie Dooley, the area manager for the Waterford/Wexford health services, said the service changes would result in longer waits for patients.

He was responding to a query from HSE South regional health forum and Kilkenny county councillor Patrick Crowley.

While Mr Dooley said a half-time nursing post would be redeployed from the hospital’s existing staff numbers, trade newspaper Irish Medical News said this was only taking place “to sustain the pain service”.

There are 860 on waiting lists in the HSE South for vital pain relief treatment. Some of these people have been waiting for more than a year.

This compares to 715 who were treated for the issue at Waterford Regional Hospital last year, and 750 in 2010.

News of the expected increase in pain relief waiting lists at Waterford hospital comes as the facility faces budget cuts of €5.09m this year.

In addition, it also has to factor in an €8.49m overrun from 2011.

It will also have to cope with the closure of two operating theatres, 25 inpatient surgical beds and 13 long and day care elderly beds.

A further 4.5% cut to the Waterford health service’s elderly care home help hours is also planned.

* [e-mail]