AMBULANCE drivers will be directed to bypass Roscommon County Hospital today as the Health Service Executive (HSE) implements closure of the hospital’s emergency department.
However, GPs in the hospital’s catchment area, extending to Leitrim, Longford, parts of Mayo, Galway, Westmeath and Sligo, are still very unhappy about the closure and lack of consultation over alternative arrangements.
Several Fine Gael councillors in Roscommon said they had been taking soundings over the weekend from constituents.
The Roscommon Hospital Action Committee is staging a protest at the hospital this morning. Committee chairman John McDermott said yesterday there was still “massive confusion” among GPs and the public about HSE West’s plans.
Sinn Féin said it was organising lunchtime “solidarity” protests today at Loughlinstown and Tallaght hospitals in Dublin; Mallow, Co Cork; Letterkenny, Co Donegal; Monaghan and Sligo.
HSE West said it was planning a leaflet drop of houses in the county and would be advertising details of the new arrangements in local press and on local radio.
Mr McDermott noted the “crisis” over a shortage of non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHD) appeared to have “abated”, even though Minister for Health Dr James Reilly had cited this as one of the principal reasons for closure when speaking at NUI Galway over a week ago.
“There were 22 junior doctors at Roscommon, and 12 agreed to stay on after the roll-over date of July 11th,” Mr McDermott said. “We understand that there are 10 new junior doctors signed up for Roscommon for today, which means there will still be 22 junior doctors at the hospital.”
HSE West could not confirm these figures, but said yesterday that patient safety, and the recommendations of the Health and Information Quality Authority for Mallow and Ennis hospitals, were always the central issue for Roscommon.
The NCHD shortage had “brought issues to a head”, a spokeswoman said, but HSE West was confident it would have appropriate staffing levels in place at the hospital from today.
HSE West said that from today, “acute emergency department services in Co Roscommon will be provided at the surrounding hospitals, including Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe, University Hospital Galway, Sligo General Hospital and Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar, depending on the location of the emergency”.
“An urgent care centre will be available at Roscommon County Hospital [which] will treat adults who present with non-emergency conditions and will be open from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week,” it said. This “will treat injuries such as cuts, minor burns and scalds, initial diagnosis of fractures including casting and pain relief, and the removal of foreign bodies from the ear, nose or eye”, it said.
“In an emergency, patients should not present to Roscommon County Hospital but attend the emergency department in one of the hospitals referred to above or call an ambulance on 999 or 112,” it said. Routine matters out of hours could be treated at a new Westdoc GP service available from 6pm to 8am, Monday to Sunday.
“For a period of four weeks from today, there will be an NCHD on site [at the urgent care centre] from 8pm to 8am seven days a week, supervised by a consultant surgeon as a safety measure.”
It said there would be an “enhanced ambulance and advanced paramedic service in Roscommon”, with four ambulances in Co Roscommon, two in Roscommon town, a 24-hour rapid response vehicle staffed by an advanced paramedic and an “increased number” of advanced paramedics.
GPs in the Roscommon catchment said they would make no official comment pending a meeting, but warned lives would be lost and patient outcomes adversely affected. Roscommon town GPs are understood to have signed up to the Westdoc arrangement.