HSE has ‘given up’ on MUH – Barrett

A LOCAL election candidate has accused the HSE of ‘giving up’ on the ongoing overcrowding in Mayo University Hospital (MUH)

Harry Barrett has warned that patients are being left ‘to their own devices’ after HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said that so-called winter plans would not be implemented due to the year-round nature of hospital overcrowding.

Speaking to The Mayo News, Mr Barrett said inaction over expanding the hospital’s emergency department and lack of investment in general practice and primary care were contributing to ongoing overcrowding at MUH.

Yesterday (Monday), there were 17 patients in MUH waiting on trolleys, 12 of which were waiting in wards.

Mr Barrett, who has promised to stand for the next general election if elected to Mayo County Council, said the HSE were ‘no further up the road’ in dealing with the lack of healthcare services in the county.

“I was promised by senior management within the Saolta group…that there would be a winter plan. That was during the summer,” said Mr Barrett.

“In the meantime, the HSE has dispensed with the winter plan. That means they are giving up,” he added.

Citing the vacant position in Lahardane, the former Castlebar town councillor said that the ongoing ‘GP crisis’ was leading to more referrals to emergency departments.

According to a study by the University of Bergen in Norway, cited by Mr Barrett, patients who attend a doctor who is familiar with their family history had up to 30 percent lower mortality.

Mr Barrett also expressed concern over the HSE’s ongoing recruitment freeze. Consultants, GP trainees, nurses, midwives, dentists, orthodontists, health and social care professionals, and key ambulance staff are exempted from the freeze, which was implemented last month.

“That has an effect in Mayo. The HSE themselves came out last winter and said ‘yes, we’ve had about 1,500 premature deaths because of delays, and A&E has contributed to that,” said Mr Barrett.

He also cited research from the UK which found that 1 in 82 patients who wait on hospital trolleys for more than six hours will not be alive a month later.

“If you are an old person on a trolley for eight, ten, fifteen hours in a bright noisy environment, it has serious consequences. Early deaths as a result of this, it really does kill older people.”

Plans to upgrade the emergency department in MUH were raised in the Dáil this week by Mayo TD Alan Dillon.

Under the HSE’s capital plan, provisions have been made to facilitate the expansion of the existing emergency department to add a ground-floor extension with seven new assessment and treatment spaces.

A new first-floor Medical Assessment United (MAU) with ten additional assessment spaces dedicated to unscheduled care and auxiliary services has also been proposed.

The HSE’s design team is advancing through the proposals the stage 2b design report. 

Deputy Dillon said that the proposed timeline ‘was not aligned to the urgency of our situation’.

“While I accept the approval process must adhere to the public spending code, it is really important that we look at expediting the submission. It is really important,” said Deputy Dillon.

“The Government must look not just at MUH, but all hospitals that are facing similar challenges. We must prioritise projects as a matter of utmost importance and hold the HSE to account in relation to them. The health and well-being of the people of County Mayo must not be jeopardised any longer and this situation cannot be overstated.”

Responding to Deputy Dillon, Minister of State at the Department of Health, Mary Butler, said she would bring his concerns to the attention of Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly.

“As Deputy Dillon will be aware, a five-year allocation out to 2025 of €5.65 billion has been provided to the Department of Health as part of the review of the NDP to support projects and programmes throughout the country. As everyone here understands, the early stages of all capital projects are the slowest. Once construction starts, it generally happens very quickly,” Minister Butler replied. 

Local Sinn Féin TD Rose Conway-Walsh and the party’s health spokesman Deputy David Cullinane met with MUH management last week to discuss fears of a potential budgetary shortfall at the hospital.

Deputy Conway-Walsh also raised the matter in the Dáil on Thursday with Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, TD.