Efforts to resolve the impasse over bed closures and staff lay-offs at University College Hospital in Galway broke down last night when management and nursing union representatives failed to resolve their differences over the dispute. SIPTU officials, who represent more than 200 nursing staff at the hospital, walked out of negotiations with hospital management three hours into a meeting at the hospital. The Irish Nurses' Organisation, which remained until late last night, has agreed to meet management again this afternoon.
INO representative Ms Claire Treacy called on SIPTU to return to the table after her organisation spent four hours negotiating at the hospital.
The branch secretary of SIPTU, Mr Michael Kilcoyne, said his union would not accept a compromise which would result in the closure of one ward until the New Year instead of two.
A number of patients were staying overnight in the hospital's casualty department last night, even while all of the wards were still open. His union had pledged to continue opposing the closure of 57 beds, which would lead to the loss of 45 temporary nursing jobs.
A leading consultant paediatrician yesterday warned that patients could die as a result of the proposed ward and theatre closures. The chief executive officer of the Western Health Board, Dr Sheelagh Ryan, defended the decision to implement the short-term closures on the grounds that they could help to avoid a more serious and painful situation next year.
She told a press conference in Galway that the difficulties became apparent only in September, when work started on commissioning new wards and theatre facilities as part of a massive expansion programme currently under way at the hospital.
"Nobody could really have anticipated the hidden costs associated with the commissioning of the new facilities," she said. The board had expected a drop in activities during the summer, as would normally be the case, but instead there had been an increase.
The hospital was running at £1.7 million over budget, although she expected this to be down to about £500,000 by the end of the year as a result of cost-cutting measures. The closures are due to be implemented until the new year. Dr Ryan said if the two wards at the centre of the controversy were closed now, it would save £300,000 up to the end of the year.
She was not surprised at the reaction to the proposed bed closures, which has included protest rallies at the hospital gates and a 500-strong turnout at a public meeting on Monday night.
The president of the Irish Hospitals Consultants' Association, Dr David Lillis, told a public meeting in Galway that he had grave concerns for the safety of patients at the hospital. Mr Kilcoyne said: "Our position is that we will not accept the closure of wards, the laying-off of any staff or the reduction in hours of staff at the hospital."