Drogheda ED 'will struggle to cope'

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda will struggle to cope following the closure of the emergency department (ED) at Louth County Hospital in Dundalk, Fine Gael has insisted.

The ED at Louth County officially closed at 9am on Tuesday, to be replaced by a minor injuries unit (MIU) that will operate from 9am until 8pm, seven days a week.

The MIU will treat adults and children aged 14 years and over who present with non-emergency conditions, such as sprains, strains, minor burns, minor wounds, bites, cuts and grazes.

The HSE has insisted that these changes to acute hospital care in Louth ‘are based on international and national evidence which indicates that acute complex healthcare, particularly for emergency medicine, surgical services and critical care services should be provided in high volume hospitals in order to maximise clinical outcomes and ensure safe services'.

It pointed out that the new arrangements have been in the planning phase for a number of years as part of the HSE's Transformation Programme. However they have been accelerated due to difficulties in recruiting junior doctors to Louth.

It added that the new and expanded ED at Our Lady of Lourdes is ‘one of the measures to ensure additional workload from Louth County Hospital can be managed'.

However according to Fine Gael's health spokesperson, Dr James Reilly, the closure of Louth County's ED will lead to ‘massive increased pressure on the already strained Our Lady of Lourdes'.

"Our Lady of Lourdes has been hit by scandal after scandal with the misdiagnosis of miscarriage being the most recent one. It has suffered badly from the closure of services in surrounding areas, which have placed increased pressure on the hospital while resources have not been increased proportionally," Dr Reilly insisted.

He said that on a visit to Monaghan General on Monday, ‘it was clear that ward closures there and in Cavan have added significantly to pressures on Our Lady of Lourdes'.

"The closure of the A&E in Louth County Hospital now comes on top of this. While the new A&E in Our Lady of Lourdes is welcome, it will not add one inpatient bed to the hospital so there will still be overcrowding with more patients left on more trolleys. The big problem is that the HSE's approach to the health service is ‘close first, ask later'. This most certainly does not lead to the best outcomes for patients," he added.

Also commenting on the ED closure, Fine Gael Louth TD, Fergus O'Dowd, said that the north east has been a ‘victim of neglect' by the Government.

"The closure of health services without alternatives being in place continues this tradition. Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda is under extreme pressure as it is and this additional pressure will see patients of the hospital suffer further while staff struggle to cope."

Anyone unsure whether their injury can be treated in Louth County's MIU is asked to call 042 9385424 or 042 9381250 between 9am and 8pm. For emergency treatment, call 999 or 112 for ambulance services. The ED at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital can be contacted at 041 980 5798.

[Posted: Tue 29/06/2010]