Navan orthopaedic unit closure will be 'a disaster for patients'

The proposed closure of the orthopaedic unit at Our Lady's Hospital in Navan, possibly as early as next month, has been described by local doctors as "a disaster for patients". Fears have also been expressed locally that Navan could lose the service entirely, as a new orthopaedic unit is due to open shortly in Cappagh Hospital, Dublin. The HSE has confirmed that a decision will be made shortly on when the orthopaedic unit in Navan will shut and for how long. Navan GP representative, Dr Niall Maguire, said the closure of the unit, even for three months, was a disaster for patients. "As it is, people have to wait a year to see a specialist and then have to wait to have surgery. These people are in a lot of pain and are on morphine and other drugs. Some people cannot move, but the HSE just callously decides to close the unit with total lack of regard for patients," he said. Dr Maguire said the proposed closure was another example of increasing rationing of healthcare spending. Cllr Suzanne Jamal said she wouldn't be at all surprised if the HSE intended to close the unit entirely. She was critical of the way staff were told that the unit would be closing without receiving deails of when it would close or how long. "Given recent happenings, anyone would be concerned about the future of the unit, given the fact that no dates have been given," she said. Deputy Damien English said he was convinced that the HSE intended to close the orthopaedic unit in Navan. "There are new theatres being built in Cappagh and while the unit is Navan is very successful with highly skilled staff, they are not being given a reopening date," he added. He described the proposed closure as scandalous, pointing out that there are over 500 people on the waiting list to see an orthopaedic consultant. "They are saying that the hospital is ahead of target, but we are not talking about a factory. We are talking about people who are in dire need of surgery," he said. Cllr Joe Reilly asked where else in the world would a hospital service only operate for nine or 10 months of the year. He said the closure of the orthopaedic unit was now an annual event, but it was based on a poor business model. He pointed out that while surgery wouldn't continue, the medical staff and nurses still had to be paid. "It is a poor reflection on a health service that it cannot sustain a necessary service for 12 months of the year. The orthopaedic unit at Navan is a regional one, serving Dundalk, Drogheda, Cavan, Meath and Monaghan, with all elective orthopaedic surgery being carried out there. According to the HSE, activity levels for 2010 for all north-east hospitals, including the orthopaedic unit, are largely based on levels of activity in 2009. In 2009, approximately 400 major procedures, including hip and knee replacement surgery and disc operations, were performed at the orthopaedic unit at Our Lady's. This year to date, 319 procedures have been carried out. "The HSE are currently in discussions with the orthopaedic surgeons locally to optimise performance based on the 2009 figures. In the coming weeks, the HSE will ascertain how much work can be done above the 2009 level. That will dictate when the unit will close and how long the closure will be," said a spokesperson. Stephen Mulvany, regional director of operations for the HSE Dublin North-East, said: "Unfortunately, these temporary closures have become a recurrent feature of the service. While the service is delivering ahead of overall targets, the HSE acknowledges that patients may be impacted by the closures and any delay for patients is very much regretted. This is a temporary closure and the unit will reopen." Mr Mulvany went on: "The recent changes to general surgery at the hospital and the future of elective orthopaedic surgery are entirely separate. General surgery at Navan involves entirely separate surgeons and separate theatres than elective orthopaedic surgery. The change made last week to emergency general surgery is a permanent change. In terms of orthopaedic surgery, we are at this stage concerned with the number of procedures we can do with the funding available to us."