Connolly A&E to survive cutbacks

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has confirmed that
Connolly Hospital is to keep its 24-hour accident and emergency department.

The positive news follows many months of speculation,
suspicion and rumour and will be met with a sigh of relief by campaigners and
residents in Dublin 15 who feared it was going to be cut from a 24-hour to a
day-only service.

The retention of the A&E is being regarded as a
victory by all those who lobbied against plans to close or alter its operations
as part of a reconfiguration of the hospitals on the Northside.

A Save Connolly Hospital A&E Facebook page
campaign had been gathering pace with over 1,200 supporters.

The HSE say that not only is the hospital keeping its
A&E but it will also retain its long-stay care beds for elderly patients
and those with Alzheimer’s, which had also been rumoured to be affected by
cutbacks.

The new HSE Service Plan for the hospital also
reiterated the intention to set aside e1.5 million to purchase a promised MRI
scanner, subject to budget efficiencies being made by the hospital.

Speaking to Northside People, local TD for the area
and Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton (Lab), said the HSE had to make
some

“very difficult

? decisions but the outcome for Connolly Hospital had been
positive overall.

“The critical thing is that we have an on-going
commitment for the future of Connolly Hospital,

? she stated.

“It’s very welcome that the A&E will remain fully
operational and that the significant number of long-stay beds will stay open,
which will come as a great relief and comfort to the families of patients,
especially when there have been so many cuts to community nursing.

?

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar (FG) also welcomed
the announcement by the HSE in relation to Connolly Hospital.

“A number of other services and facilities at Connolly
will also be protected in the year ahead,

? he stated.

“The long-stay units will remain open, and the number
of mental health beds will be unaffected by budget restrictions.

“Mental health services will be enhanced through the
provision of additional psychology teams.

?

However, the minister did admit that the hospital
would still need to make savings by closing some beds periodically.

And this won’t be the only challenge for the hospital
as the HSE’s budget for the Dublin/North East region is being cut across the
board by e120 million this year with staffing being reduced by almost 1,000
members.

Around 400 staff are expected to retire this month as
part of the Government’s early retirement scheme.

A further 561 jobs will be cut this year to reach an
overall reduction in staff of 961.