The ending of eye services in Kerry has been described as a “debacle” by the main hospital in the county, which said it has generated “massive problems”.
Management at University Hospital Kerry (UHK) also said there were “clinical issues arising to patients”.
The comments were made in the name of a senior manager at the hospital in an answer to a parliamentary question tabled by Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae. The reply was published on the Health Service Executive website in recent days.
However, a spokesman for the hospital said on Thursday that the answer had been sent out in error.
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“The reply, which was published on the HSE website, originated at UHK. It should be noted that the draft reply was unfortunately sent in error before it was presented to hospital management for final approval and forwarding. Management at UHK have since introduced new procedures to ensure that such errors do not recur.”
The answer published on the HSE website begins with the word “Minister”. It is unclear whether the author thought it was a note to be sent to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly rather than in a reply to a Dáil deputy.
Parliamentary questions tabled to the Minister for Health regarding operational or service matters are routinely sent by the Department of Health to the HSE.
The HSE, in turn, forwards the question to the most appropriate part of the organisation to reply.
The answer published by the HSE said: “Minister the eye services in UHK have completely ceased since Dec 2023 due to contractual issues which need to be updated. The changes necessary have been agreed with the acute services but not by the community services. There is large problems and clinical issues arising to patients out of this debacle. The clinician who provides this service is employed by community services and UHK continue to facilitate him in providing sessions in out-patient department (OPD).”
A spokesman for the hospital said the vast majority of eye care services required in the Cork and Kerry area were provided in Cork at the regional outpatients unit or at the integrated eye care centre for ophthalmology.
“In the past an eye specialist who was contracted to community services also provided out-of-hours eye care cover as was necessary at UHK. Unfortunately, this service ended in December 2023. Since then management at UHK and HSE South West are working with the HSE to ensure that eye care services recommence at the hospital as soon as possible. ”
UHK is an acute hospital which provides services for about 180,000 people in the county.
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