Matt Shanahan on South East cardiac transfer delays and care gaps
Matt Shanahan pressed the Tanaiste over prolonged heart attack transfer times in the South East and called for a 24-7 cardiac service. He cited a National Office of Clinical Audit report showing delays up to 11 hours and recounted a case where a stenting took five and a half hours, outside the clinical timeframe.
Allegations of lengthy cardiac transfer delays
He referenced a National Office of Clinical Audit report that, he said, showed South East patients experiencing transfer delays of up to 11 hours. He described a specific incident of a 48-year-old mother of two rushed at midnight to Cork Hospital where her stenting operation took five and a half hours to complete, three and a half hours beyond the clinical time frame.
Criticism of the transfer policy and 24-7 service denial
He challenged the Tanaiste and the government over what he called a "ludicrous transfer policy" that he believes endangers hospital staff, ambulance personnel and patients. He demanded to know how long the government would defend the policy that leaves the South East as the only region denied a 24-7 cardiac care service.
Government reply on infrastructure and service expansion
The Tanaiste responded that a second cath lab in Waterford is nearing completion and that handover could be as early as this month. A modular emergency department and outpatient facility were said to be scheduled for equipment and commissioning in the first quarter of the year, measures intended to support expanded hours for the PPI and cardiology service in Waterford.
Operational and staffing constraints highlighted
The reply acknowledged significant recruitment challenges in staffing a 24-7 service and stressed the difficulty of recruiting staff to work nights and weekends long-term. Concerns were also raised in the exchange that there are currently no beds available to support the new cath lab, underscoring operational constraints on opening extended services.
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Tanaiste, some weeks ago I brought into the House to your attention a National Office of Clinical Audit report into heart attack and ambulance transfer times which showed that South East patients are being delayed by up to 11 hours to have cardiac interventions done. Last Wednesday another patient, a 48-year-old mother of two, was rushed at midnight down to Cork Hospital, chased by her husband behind her, wondering was she going to survive. Her stenting operation took five and a half hours to complete, three and a half hours outside the clinical time frame. Tanaiste, can I ask how long more will government stand over this ludicrous transfer policy within the South East region? How long more are we going to stand over endangering hospital personnel, ambulance personnel as well as patients in this race down to Cork? And beyond that, can I ask you as a doctor and as a future Taoiseach of this country, how long more are you going to continue to defend the policy to deny the South East region the only region in the country to be denied a 24-7 cardiac care service? Thanks very much Deputy, the second cat lab in Waterford is nearing completion, we expect... There's no beds for two years of engagement to the States, there's no beds to service that unit? We expect hand over to be done as early as this month, as well as the modular emergency department and outpatient facility which are scheduled to be equipped and commissioned in the first quarter of this year. That will facilitate the expansion of the hours of the PPI service, the cardiology service in Waterford, there will of course be a challenge around recruitment. Recruiting people to work 24-7, to work nights, to work weekends, not just for a few years but for their entire careers is a real challenge. But it's something that we're going to try and do and try and extend the hours of operation of those services and the Deputy can be assured that we'll do all that we can to achieve that. Honest, there's no beds to support that service at present, the new cat lab and no beds to support it. Thank you very much, Josh. Thank you very much, Josh.
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