PLANS BY the HSE to close 50 per cent of the surgical facility at Croom Orthopaedic Hospital in Co Limerick for eight months will be “disastrous” for patients and significantly increase waiting lists for orthopaedic treatments, health unions have warned.
Staff were informed yesterday that one operating theatre and a 15-bed ward were to close for a period of eight months from May 3rd. Workers claim there was no consultation with trade unions about the move, which they say is a “clear breach” of the Croke Park agreement.
“We do not yet know what the implications for staff will be, however, redeployments and the potential for loss of expertise seem inevitable unless the closure can be reversed,” said Impact assistant general secretary Andy Pike.
Staff were concerned this was the second time in less than a year the HSE had tried to downsize the hospital “not on the grounds of clinical outcomes but purely on the grounds of cost”, he said. “For patients requiring orthopaedic treatment, this is a disaster.”
The HSE said the Mid West Hospital Group had a requirement to operate within budget. “In order to ensure that the group remains within its approved expenditure levels we are currently putting together a budget break-even plan,” a spokesperson said.