Hospitals need more resources - Portlaoise hospital downgrading

FOLLOWING the tragic deaths of five babies at the regional hospital in Portlaoise, it was inevitable the status of what should be one of the most crucial health centres in the Midlands would be downgraded. That was clear from the damning report on an investigation carried out by Hiqa, the Health Information and Quality Authority, into those heartbreaking disasters.

Having pointed the finger of blame squarely at those responsible for running the hospital in recent years, the demotion now taking place was inescapable. So, the HSE is transferring all complex surgery to St James’s Hospital in Dublin or the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore, while services which do not have enough patients to support them will be discontinued, with emergency department hours being reduced to a daytime service between 8am to 8pm.

Behind these far-reaching changes, the report depicted a scenario in which, as Health Minister Leo Varadkar put it, patients were not treated with the respect, care, and compassion they had every right to expect in the hour of their greatest need. On occasion, he said, patient safety and quality came second to other interests at the hospital, whether these were institutional, corporate, staff or political. To make matters even worse, not a glimmer of compassion shown to some of the women who lost their children at the hospital.