Transfers from University Hospital Waterford to Cork failing to arrive within treatment window

Waterford TD Matt Shanahan wants a 24-7 cardiac centre at University Hospital Waterford. Picture: Denis Minihane.

Not one of 134 “blue light” ambulance transfers from University Hospital Waterford to Cork arrived within a 90-minute treatment window, leaving cardiac patients at severe risk of death, it has been claimed.

Data supplied to Waterford Independent TD Matt Shanahan shows that transfer times out of the county, as well as those from Wexford and Kilkenny to Cork and Dublin over the same period of 2019 to 2022, are outside that 90-minute window.

In fact, the patient hand-over time from call of ambulance from Waterford to Cork University Hospital averaged three hours and 14 minutes, Mr Shanahan’s data shows.

The analysis was based on information supplied from the National Ambulance Service to Mr Shanahan, through the Minister for Health by way of parliamentary questions.

The Waterford TD says this evidence shows the worsening clinical situation for heart attack transfers in the South East when the Waterford cath lab is closed.

Independent TD Matt Shanahan says evidence shows the worsening clinical situation for heart attack transfers in the South East when the Waterford cath lab is closed.

According to the data, the longest transfer took seven hours and 16 minutes, while the quickest took 1 hour and 52 minutes.

Mr Shanahan called on the Government to immediately designate University Hospital Waterford a 24-7 cardiac centre and commit the requisite funding to fulfil a 24-7 service plan.

Cath lab

Responding, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar acknowledged the importance of the issue for the people of the South and South East. He said work is being done to construct and fit out the second cath lab in the hospital.

But he added: “Finding staff to staff two cath labs 24-7 will be a real difficulty: it is in large cities and it certainly will be in Waterford too.”

He said he did not have the authority to commit to such a demand from Mr Shanahan, but said he would get Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to contact him.

The HSE said there is a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) service and a well-resourced diagnostic service in University Hospital Waterford (UHW) during core working hours.

It is envisaged that this will go from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, later this year.

It said the figures in the parliamentary questions do not automatically include cardiac patients.

A consultant cardiologist at University Hospital Waterford, Dr Paddy Owens has said people who have a heart attack outside office hours in Waterford have an almost “zero” chance of accessing lifesaving treatment within an acceptable timeframe, as they have to be transferred to Cork.

The Irish Heart Attack Audit National Report analysed 5,629 patients across 2017-2020. It found that patients who received a “timely” primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) had a 2.8% in-hospital mortality rate, “compared to 5.2% in patients who are treated beyond the 120-minute window”.