HSE officials confirm surgery cuts looming

Cutbacks in elective orthopaedic surgery at Our Lady"s Hospital, Navan, may have to be implemented in order to contain costs in the region"s hospitals, Health Service Executive (HSE) officials told members of the North-East Health Forum on Monday. The officials confirmed reports that surgery at the unit would be curtailed but said they were battling to avoid hitting frontline services. In addition, they intimated that services at the hospital"s accident and emergency department would not be affected by cuts at this stage. The region"s health service is overspent by €3 million. This is due to the fact that the HSE had delivered so far in 2008 more services than provided for in the service plan and this was giving rise to a projected over-run to the year end, officials said. There had also been the additional problem a significant growth in demand-led schemes, not least the medical card scheme, which was placing 'significant' pressure on financial resources. 'To ensure that the HSE meets its financial obligations, management and staff in HSE Dublin North-East and across the country are examining ways in which it can contain costs without interfering as far as is possible with frontline services. Earlier this year, cost containment plans were introduced to reduce non-frontline services such as telephony, travel and subsistence, energy costs and training,' they said. Hospital network manager for the region"s hospitals, Stephen Mulvany, said that, in an environment, where they had to contain costs and operate within budget, the main HSE focus would be to protect emergency work and ensure that the quality of emergency services provided was not compromised. 'In an effort to contain costs, we may have to look at reducing our elective work in some areas. We are well aware of the impact that this will have on our patients and, at this time, we are trying to avoid any complete closures. Our goal is to minimise any impact on the amount of frontline services provided in as much as this is practical,' he added. The officials said that while nothing had been ruled out in terms of cost savings, in relation to pay it has been indicated that this needs to be achieved by reducing overtime, on-call, agency and locum costs. There was a warning that while no final decision had been made on further 'cost containment measures', savings would have to be made between now and the end of the year and this might have an impact on services. Members at a meeting of the Health Forum in Kells agreed to the suspension of standing orders to debate cutbacks throughout the health service and, in particular, the curtailment of services at the orthopaedic unit in Navan. Cllr Tomas Sharkey said that, historically, the north-east area was the worst funded in the State. He said: 'We represent the community at large and there is an awful lot of anxiety at the moment about the state of the health services.' He blamed 'an uncaring Cabinet' for enforcing a budget on them and he maintained that cutbacks would prolong people"s pain and anxiety. 'There are thousands of people sitting at home not knowing what services will be in place from 1st October if they get sick. We also have the staff who do not know what is going to hit them.' Cllr Ann Dillon Gallagher, holding up a copy of last week"s Meath Chronicle, said that members of the forum always seemed to be reacting to what was in the media and elsewhere. The members were never told in advance what was coming down the lane in terms of adjustments to health services, she said. It was not good enough that people who were waiting for treatment were put on long waiting lists. 'We are being treated like children here,' Cllr Dillon Gallagher said, 'Why can"t the HSE come here and tell us what hospitals are closing, what services are stopping?' Cllr Tommy Reilly said that a total of €16 billion was going to health services in the country, but he did not know where it was ending up. He found it incredible that the medical assessment unit promised for July 2007 was still not open. The money was there for it, he said. 'To hear now that the orthopaedic unit is to close for several months is unbelievable,' he added. Cllr Joe Reilly maintained this week that cuts would go ahead at the orthopaedic unit. He said that staff had been hearing there would be a slowdown up to the first week in October and then closure from then on. It was not fair, he said, that the morale of staff at the Navan hospital was being affected by cutbacks and by the uncertainty surrounding the health services.