THE HEALTH Service Executive has said it is to review the decision not to allow consultants at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan assess patients in the accident and emergency department.
Consultants had expressed concern that an “unsafe” situation had arisen in recent days after the executive announced an end to all acute and emergency surgery at the hospital.
This resulted in a situation whereby junior doctors were assessing patients in AE, with the input of consultants in other hospitals, including Drogheda.
One local doctor said a patient left waiting for several hours for assessment had eventually been transferred to intensive care, where she was assessed by the same consultants who could not assess her in the emergency department.
In a statement yesterday, the HSE said its surgical advisory group had “reviewed” its advice regarding the provision of surgical assessment to patients in the emergency department in Navan.
“This is being communicated to the consultant surgeons and staff in the hospitals,” it said.
It said there was “ongoing engagement with staff and key stakeholders to deal with the practical implications of the decision taken last week in relation to surgical services in Navan” and that it acknowledged the concerns expressed by some consultants.
It is understood that as of yesterday, the three consultant surgeons at Navan will provide on-call expertise in the emergency department. They will assist in the assessment of patients before they are transferred elsewhere for surgery.
Assistant secretary general of the Irish Hospital Consultants’ Association Donal Duffy welcomed the review as “positive” but said clarification was being sought on some issues.
Earlier yesterday, the clinical director of the Louth Meath Hospital Group Dr Doiminic Ó Brannagáin rejected claims by consultants that arrangements in place at the emergency department since last week were “unsafe”.
He also rejected the consultants’ claims that the major emergency plan for the Navan hospital had been in any way undermined by the recent changes.
Unions have asked to see the external advice cited by the HSE as the reason for the cessation of emergency and acute surgeries. They are due to meet management again today and local consultation on the changes is ongoing.