Women waiting at least five months for complex menopause treatment

The menopause service at the National Maternity Hospital only sees women in person between 3pm and 6pm every Tuesday — and only sees women from five counties. File picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews 

Critical understaffing has left women waiting more than five months to get initial contact from one of the State’s menopause clinics with concerns raised of a postcode lottery system.

Women who have complex issues or may have had treatment for diseases such as cancer are referred to the specialist clinics through their GPs.

The service at the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) only physically sees women between 3pm and 6pm every Tuesday.

It has also taken the decision to only see patients from five counties — Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Wexford, and Kilkenny — due to demand.

The Rotunda is due to open its clinic tomorrow to mark Menopause Awareness Week, but thereafter it will open for just one day per week and treat women from the catchment area initially.

Deirdre Lundy, clinical lead at the NMH menopause clinic, said 'critical understaffing' is causing delays to the opening of clinics elsewhere in Ireland. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has claimed that the Coombe’s clinic is up and running, but the hospital has confirmed to the Irish Examiner that it has yet to open.

The minister previously announced funding to open six specialist clinics across the country. However, clinics in Cork and Galway have yet to open while the service in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, is only treating local women, a specialist doctor has claimed.

Deirdre Lundy, clinical lead at the NMH menopause clinic said “critical understaffing” is causing delays to the opening of clinics elsewhere.

She said it took six months for a nurse with the required expertise to be released to the NMH clinic, because the health service could not find a replacement.

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy TD  said: 'The postcode lottery system raises serious red flags in terms of equality of treatment.' File picture: Damien Storan

Mr Donnelly has denied that staffing is an issue and said clinics in Cork and Galway will open before the end of the year.

Between November 2021 and August 2022, the NMH clinic has physically seen 250 women and up to 15 new patients every week.

Dr Lundy said: “What happens if you live in Athlone and you are on your knees and you’re 25 and somebody gave you radiotherapy for bowel cancer and now your ovaries have shriveled up, and you’ve flushes and sweats, brain fog, mood issues, and no one can help you?

“Half of the letters I’m getting are from people whose counties are out of my patch.”

Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy said: 

The postcode lottery system raises serious red flags in terms of equality of treatment. 

She said it is not the fault of the staff running the clinics and has called on Mr Donnelly to “get this service fully up and running, because it can’t be there in theory”.

Dr Lundy said the NMH clinic has three staff with some working part-time, and also holds a phone clinic on Wednesdays, but this is to follow up with patients that are in the system.

She revealed that she spends more time responding and giving advice to GPs who have referred patients rather than treating women, and often works unpaid to get through administrative work.