Public told to ‘avoid A&E if possible’
Activists insist people will die after hospital loses brain bleed services
Cork hospital
CORK University Hospital yesterday urged the public to stay away from the emergency department unless they are seriously ill or injured.
For the second time in less than a week, bosses warned of severe overcrowding which is putting an unmanageable strain on the A&E.
There were 74 patients on trolleys at CUH yesterday – 67 of those were in the emergency department – making it the most overcrowded hospital in the country.
CUH advised to “only attend in the case of a genuine emergency, advising that, where possible, a GP or Southdoc out of hours service be consulted in the first instance”.
A CAMPAIGN group has vowed to “do everything in its power” to save a hospital as the closure of its stroke unit will cost lives.
Jillian Ennis O’boyle, who survived five strokes, revealed her concern as an emergency meeting of the Save Navan Hospital Campaign on Monday decided to picket the Dublin offices of the Ireland East Group.
Last week, ambulance and call centre staff received a HSE directive to bypass Our Lady’s Hospital with any patients showing signs and symptoms of stroke.
It ordered: “These patients should be transported to the next nearest emergency department that provides stroke thrombolysis”
These are located at Dublin’s Connolly and Mater Hospitals, the Regional Hospital in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, Co Louth, and Cavan General Hospital
It adds all “self-presenting patients to Navan with subsequent confirmed stroke” will be brought by ambulance to the Mater.
The rationale behind the decision was stated as “stroke patient outcomes are optimised by treatment in centres with higher volumes of stroke treatment”.
Chairman of the Save Navan Hospital Group Deputy Peadar Toibin said pickets will be placed at HSE’S Dublin offices tomorrow from 2pm.
He added: “We want the HSE to sit down with us and discuss returning stroke services to Our Lady’s Hospital immediately or we will take to the streets.”
Ms Ennis O’boyle expressed her “disgust” at the decision to take away treatment from the very hospital she received lifesaving treatment and the hospital for which she fundraised for a specialised stroke bed. She had her first stroke aged 32, due to the rare auto-immune disease Moyamoya which attacks the brain’s blood vessels. Her latest was in 2018.
Jillian has a progressive disease and is now worried she will lose valuable time in having to get to another hospital by driving by Our Lady’s where she has been stabilised in the past
She said: “To stop treating stroke victims is absolutely
Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan disgraceful. Time is hugely important with stroke patients and Navan had a specialised area with a stroke bed.
“I fundraised €7,000 towards stroke awareness and the Irish Heart & Stroke Foundation when they were lobbying to secure stroke units across Ireland.
“It’s even just a relief to get there and know you are in safe hands, rather than being stuck in Dublin traffic or not knowing what hospital you are going to.
“A basic CAT Scan that they can perform in Navan will see a bleed on the brain straight away and implement measures there and then.
“I fully believe that this move will cost lives and jeopardise the complete rehabilitation of many more – especially as stroke patients are getting younger.”
Her husband Fergus said: “Time is everything. If you don’t get timely treatment, your outcome of recovery is seriously hampered and you could end up in a nursing home or needing permanent home care. I am fearful that we may not make a hospital next time because we have to bypass Navan.”