St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin says it can no longer accept patients from outside its catchment area who already have a service in their home area. Up to 30 per cent of its workload comes from outside its area at a cost of €10 million. Among those likely to be affected are cystic fibrosis sufferers of “low acuity” and patients requiring pain management who can be treated closer to home.
- Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin intends to cut costs by €9 million this year. Last week the hospital closed a 25-bed ward and an operating theatre. It expects to close 20 more beds “and possibly another theatre” this July and August. Outpatient appointments will be cut by 15 per cent and admissions by about 1,100 while staff will be offered voluntary unpaid leave in July/August.
- According to unions at Sligo General Hospital, the stroke unit closed on Thursday, as nurses staged a one-day strike on staffing. The HSE has argued that the unit has been relocated to another part of the hospital. The hospital confirmed that 16 beds had been closed.
- A 34-bed rheumatology and medical unit at Merlin Park Hospital Galway is expected to shut at the end of the month. Consultant rheumatologist Dr Robert Coughlan says a specialist medical team will be broken up even though a workable alternative has been agreed by staff on the ground.
- The Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork re-opened its AE department last December following a €5 million upgrade. According to a report leaked last week, acute services from the hospital and from South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in the city are to be transferred to Cork University Hospital along with acute services from Bantry and Mallow. Services from Kerry General hospital in Tralee will also be re-located there. Ennis and Nenagh recently lost their 24-hour AE departments and Monaghan hospital is expected to go off call soon.
- A 51-year-old man spent nine days on hunger strike in protest at the HSE’s plan to close the 19-bed St Bridget’s ward at St Patrick’s hospital Waterford.