HSE’s Navan emergency department closure plans rebuffed by Ministers

Health Service Executive (HSE) plans to divert critically ill patients from Navan hospital to other hospitals in the northeast have run into stiff resistance from senior Government Ministers.

On Monday, the HSE unveiled plans to replace Navan’s emergency department (ED) on safety grounds with a medical assessment unit with no walk-in service. Only a handful of critically ill patients each day would be affected by the change, it told local politicians.

On Tuesday, Government Ministers, mindful of the potential political fallout from any removal of services from Navan, sought to pour cold water on the proposals.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said no decision has been made by “this Government” on the HSE’s proposal to “transition” the ED at Navan hospital.

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Mr Donnelly said several important issues would need to be addressed fully before the change, including the provision of additional capacity in other hospitals and the continued ability of people in the Navan area to access emergency and urgent care.

Minister for Justice and Meath East TD Helen McEntee said any proposals which would mean people in the county having to attend emergency services outside of it, and which were not adequately resourced to meet increased demand, were unacceptable.

“It is important to state that these proposals have not been agreed to by the Government or the Minister for Health and will not be proceeding as originally suggested by the HSE,” Ms McEntee said.

She accused the HSE of causing “further concern” at the presentation to local elected representatives on Monday by failing to address “serious concerns” around capacity.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar rowed in behind his Cabinet colleagues, saying the Government has not sanctioned the closing of the ED in Navan.

“I think there are a lot of questions to be asked about whether that is wise,” Mr Varadkar said.

“I worked in Navan hospital for a time, it provided very good care to a lot of people particularly those with pneumonia, with minor injuries, UTIs, it provided very good care.

“I fully appreciate it is not a major specialist centre, for people with major trauma who have a heart attack or a stroke, it is better that they are taken elsewhere, and that is generally done by the ambulance service.

“But I think if there are to be any further changes to services at Navan, we would need a lot of assurances around the quality of ambulance services in Meath and the capacity of hospitals like Drogheda and Connolly to take the additional patient load.

“I know Minister Donnelly, Minister McEntee and others are not satisfied with the HSE’s responses to those very straight-forward and reasonable questions.”

The HSE maintains it is merely implementing the decision of a previous government to close emergency services in smaller hospitals due to safety concerns around staffing and low throughput of patients. Sources believe a decision to shut Navan’s ED does not require Government sanction but is unlikely to go ahead without it.

The closure of the ED in Roscommon University Hospital in 2011 convulsed the local Fine Gael party, causing one TD to resign and another to step down some years later. The HSE has said the hospital is busier than ever now, mostly with elective work and the treatment of minor injuries.