New fears for Navan hospital

 The final nail in the coffin for Navan’s 24/7 A&E service and coronary care unit appears to be on the way, as the HSE has advertised for a General Manager, whose remit includes the donwgrading of Our Lady’s Hospital.
Deputy Shane Cassells compared the appointing a general manager to close the full time A&E facility  to “ appointing a firing squad for a humanitarian  mission”.
Dr Ruairi Hanley, PRO of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign said “We believe any attempt to further reduce services in Navan will put patients lives in jeopardy.”
He described the advertisement as a “disturbing development.”
However a spokesperson for the Ireland East Hospital Group said there are no plans to reduce services at this time and therefore no timeframe.  
“We are advertising for General Manager of Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan.   
“As part of the position, the candidate will need to be familiar with the Small Hospital Framework and as such it will include any planning with regard to the transition of hospital services to a model two hospital,” she said.   
Dr Hanley said; “It seems clear now that the HSE is hellbent on downgrading Navan Hospital.
“The Save Navan Hospital Campaign will continue to fight this downgrading regardless of who is appointed,” Dr Hanley said.
Deputy Cassells points out that the advertisement sets out the purpose of the post as “the transition of the hospital services to a model two hospital.”
“This means that the 24/7 A&E facility would be closed. The deadline for applications for the post is this Friday (12th August) with recruitment beginning immediately.
Deputy Cassells described the recruitment advertisement as a disgrace given the commitments by government TDs in the county that there would be no downgrading of the 24/7 A&E until a new regional hospital was built in Navan.
“This advertisement from the HSE is the preparation of the firing squad for our A&E unit, despite the pledge from Damien English and others that there would be no downgrading of the facility until a new regional hospital was built. There’s no sign of any regional hospital being built because the government TDs in Meath failed to get it included in the capital plan despite their infamous promise on the front of the Chronicle that it would be opened in 2016.
“The advertisement is there in black and white for all to see that the role of this person is to ensure the transition of Navan to a model two hospital, which would mean the closure of A&E and the creation of a local injury unit.”
The chairman of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign, Deputy Peadar Tóibín said this was confirmation of government policy that Navan would lose its A&E and coronary care.
“It would be madness to go ahead with this policy. We need to ensure Navan has an A&E into the future.”
Under the plan, announced by former Health Minister James Reilly in 2013, Navan will have a minor injury units, instead of a full A&E, which would operate from 8am to 8pm.
None of the designated ‘model two hospitals’ can provide major acute surgery or critical care.
Model three hospitals have 24/7 A&Es, acute surgery, acute medicine and critical care.