A NEW Emergency Department (ED) at Dublin’s Mater Private Hospital was officially opened by Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, earlier this month.
The private hospital says the new ED, which will be open to all patients, was developed in response to demand from both patients and GPs and it has a number of features designed to ensure speedy access to assessment and diagnosis in urgent situations.
The department opens Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm, for patients over the age of 16. Chest pain, respiratory distress, abdominal pain, as well as sprains and strains, lacerations and wounds can all be treated.
The new service opens up access to urgent care for all patients, with both walk-in clients and those with GP referrals welcome.
The new emergency department is in addition to the 24/7 urgent cardiac care service, which has been in place since 2010 providing emergency access for patients with cardiac conditions.
Private health insurance is not required in order to access the Emergency Department. The cost of attendance and initial consultation is
?¬120, with any additional charge for diagnostic tests and pathology capped at
?¬500 in any one visit.
All health insurers provide cover to the Mater Private if a patient needs to be admitted.
Speaking at the opening Minister Varadkar said:
“It’s open to patients with insurance and those who do not.
“Fees are similar to those in public emergency departments and are capped.
“Patients are seen quickly and by a consultant. It also means that patients with health insurance who need to be admitted to the Mater Private in an emergency do not have to go through another public hospital first. That makes sense for everyone.
“The number of people with health insurance is rising again as the economy recovers and it becomes more affordable. Ultimately, I would like to get to the point where everyone has health insurance but we need to make it affordable before we can make it universal.
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Mater Private Hospital Dublin CEO, John Hurley, said the hospital was constantly striving to improve patient access to the highest quality of care.
“The opening of our Emergency Department means we will now be able to diagnose and treat acute patients efficiently, with the average patient being triaged within 15 minutes of arrival and being assessed, treated and discharged in under two and a half hours.
“Most importantly, we are now able to do all of this in a facility that is backed by access to the hospital’s extensive team of expert consultants.
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Mater Private Healthcare Group CEO, Fergus Clancy, described the new ED as
“an exciting development
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“The Group offers a wealth of medical expertise and has pioneered many major developments in the delivery of healthcare,
? he said.
“With some of the world’s leading health professionals, it has been providing world-class care to patients for over 25 years at five locations in Ireland and one in the UK.
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The team of seven Emergency Department consultants and six specialised nurses are led by Emergency Care consultant, Dr Eamonn Brazil.
Six new nursing and administrative jobs at the Eccles Street campus have been created with more expected over the next 12 months.
Patients are advised to call the Mater Private Emergency Department from Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm to seek advice from an expert triage nurse on 1800-222999 or visit www.materprivate.ie.