Government TDs under fire over A&E ‘downgrading’

A major political row has erupted in Co Clare over the proposed “significant downgrading” of 12-hour accident and emergency services at Ennis Hospital amid claims local TDs are not living up to their pre-election promises.

Timmy Dooley of Fianna Fáil levelled the charge against Fine Gael TDs Pat Breen and Joe Carey along with Labour TD Michael McNamara after the Mid-West HSE confirmed the local emergency centre at Ennis Hospital will become a local injuries unit focusing on the care of injuries such as broken bones, soft tissue injuries and wounds.

The Mid-West HSE has insisted the change is in line with new national clinical programmes to provide safer patient care in acute hospitals in the Mid-West.

Mr Dooley has asked the TDs to explain the rationale behind the change in policy in light of statements by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny in Feb 2011 that all existing services at Ennis would be maintained.

However, Mr Breen and Mr Carey insisted Health Minister James Reilly had confirmed that no final decision has been made regarding services at Ennis.

Mr Dooley claimed the Fine Gael and Labour TDs “were engaged in the misrepresentation of the facts” and “in addition made certain promises about the reconfiguration of services at Ennis hospital, which are now going ahead”.

However, Mr Carey said: ‘The reality is, despite the claims being made by Timmy Dooley, people with major traumas have been treated at Limerick General for three years now, since Fianna Fáil downgraded services at Ennis. What we need to do now is push ahead with improvements at Limerick General Hospital and I am calling on the HSE to engage fully with the public before announcing any service changes.”

Mr McNamara said he did not make any pre-election promises in relation to Ennis or to engage in commentary on the extent to which Mr Dooley had adhered to the promises he had made before the previous election.