Navan ED closure will put pressure on Cavan

CRISIS Cllr warns that lives could be lost

Cavan County Council passed an emergency resolution to send a letter against the downgrading of the emergency department at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan.

With protests taking place outside Navan and Drogheda Hospitals last Monday, elected members met for their December meeting with concerns raised that, if Navan Hospital is downgraded as planned, the knock-on effect will be additional pressure on an already stressed Cavan General Hospital.

It was pointed out at the meeting that, as recently as last month, on back-to-back days, management at Cavan General were forced to issue public appeals asking patients to seek alternative options to the Emergency Department due to delays and limited bed capacity.

From yesterday (Wednesday, December 14) an updated protocol means that ambulances will no longer bring critically ill and unstable patients to Navan under HSE plans to replace the ED there with a 24-hour medical assessment unit.

Patients will instead be transferred to other nearby Level 3 and Level 4 hospitals. This was agreed by the Minister for Health and the HSE.

The protocol was supposed to be introduced on Monday but delayed after more than a dozen consultants in Drogheda signed a letter to Minister Donnelly to express worry about the impact of the decision on their hospital, which they claim is already operating at full capacity.

Independent Cllr Shane P O’Reilly, who tabled the emergency motion for discussion, said that, at the weekend, as many as seven ambulances were “parked” outside Drogheda hospital with “no beds available in A&E”.

“They were full to capacity from Thursday,” fumed the Mullagh representative, who said those same ambulances were later transferred back to Navan.

“Drogheda will not, and cannot cope, if Navan A&E closes,” he said.

Cllr O’Reilly pointed out the ramifications of this, as per staffing rest rules, was that there were “no ambulances” available in either Cavan or Monaghan last Saturday night.

Citing the large number of industrial businesses in the east of the county, and their proximity to both Navan and Cavan in case of a crisis, Cllr O’Reilly stated that he was in “no doubt lives are going to be lost" if this is pushed through.

Fianna Fáil’s Clifford Kelly seconded Cllr O’Reilly’s proposed motion to write to the minister and chief executive of the HSE opposing the introduction of the new protocol “until such time better facilities are in place”.

Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly commended her party leader Peadar Tóibín for his efforts to support Navan hospital to date, and warned that “all hospitals will come under pressure” if the A&E is downgraded.

Cllr Craig Lovett (FF) and Sinn Féin’s Paddy McDonald also supported the motion, while Fine Gael’s TP O’Reilly noted that greater “clarity” was needed in relation to the decision being made.

“We need to ask questions of the HSE,” demanded Brendan Fay (Ind).