ieExplains: Why is the health minister so critical of HSE South West? 

Controversy erupts after Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked why she should fund further beds around Cork when beds in Mallow are lying empty

Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill told the 'Irish Examiner' on Friday the 'idea of a person from Cork who is lying on trolleys in CUH while there is an empty bed in Mallow is an immoral use of the taxpayers' money'. Picture: PA

A controversy has erupted over the number of patients Mallow General Hospital is accepting after the health minister warned that it wasn't doing enough to ease pressure on the main city hospitals.

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the "idea of a person from Cork who is lying on trolleys in CUH while there is an empty bed in Mallow is an immoral use of the taxpayers' money". 

"It’s an immoral way to care for patients in the broader community," she told the Irish Examiner on Friday. 

In the Dáil last week, when Fianna Fáil Cork East TD James O’Connor asked about health funding for Youghal, she again referred to empty beds in Mallow.

“The Deputy will forgive me if I am not racing to advance additional infrastructure in the South West until they make sure they manage the resources they have more effectively,” she said.

This led to an “expletive-ridden exchange” afterwards between Mr O’Connor and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris, according to media reports.

So what's the issue with patients in Cork City travelling to Mallow for treatment?

Anecdotally, some people are delighted to leave busy wards in CUH, the Mercy, or even University Hospital Kerry to finish their care in Mallow. 

Some managed to avoid CUH completely as the Model 2 site in Mallow now offers some elective surgeries. 

However, other examples shared with this reporter are of patients from Cork city at CUH who refused to go. 

Some said relatives could not get to Mallow to visit, especially older people who do not drive. 

Patients in Tralee have also refused for distance reasons. In some cases, this includes people living in east Kerry, which is close to Mallow, but there remains a negative perception about being sent out of the county for treatment.

Earlier this month, the health minister officially opened the extension at Mallow General Hospitalincluding 24 further beds. File picture: Picture Denis Minihane

It is also argued that the public is not yet fully aware of the level of change and the services offered in Mallow. 

Patients have doubts about the care there despite Hiqa inspectors finding “high quality care, safe and reliable healthcare services in Mallow General Hospital” last year.

What does Mallow General Hospital offer?

Expanded services now include a medical assessment unit, 95 in-patient beds, endoscopy and elective surgery for day procedures, as well as scans, outpatient care, and an injuries unit.

What does the HSE say?

In relation to the trolley crisis and overcrowding, the HSE said: “HSE South West notes the Minister’s comments regarding pressures at Cork University Hospital and fully acknowledges the ongoing challenges associated with high demand and patient flow.” 

It said Mallow does take patients from the bigger hospitals, and this includes bringing “north Cork patients closer to home prior to final discharge”.

• Niamh Griffin, Health Correspondent