NEDOC warning on A&E closure proposals

GPs in North East Doctor on Call (NEDOC) service have expressed concern at the HSE's planned closure of the Emergency Department Of Our Lady's Hospital, Navan and warned that if it is to be replaced by a Medical Assessment Unit, the new service will have to be self referral.

“The NEDOC service is an urgent out of hours GP service, staffed by GPs working in daytime general practice. It is not a replacement or an alternative to the emergency services,” said.Operations Manager, Arlene Fitzsimons.

“ The service is already beyond capacity in terms of the volume of calls to the service, with the number of GP consultations by phone and in person, already at 2019 levels, which was our busiest year of the service.”

She said if an MAU is to replace A&E, it must operate as a self-refer unit.

“Currently the MAU is a GP-referred service, and should the ED in Navan close, the GPs in NEDOC will not have the capacity to deal with an additional volume of calls to be referred to the MAU.  It is unlikely that daytime GPs will be in a position to fill that role either,” she said.

Senator Shane Cassells said the statement by the Doctor on Call service that they do not have the capacity to facilitate a GP referral system for a Medical Assessment Unit in Navan demonstrates that the HSE plans to downgrade the A&E are in tatters.