McKenna secures HSE concession on repatriation of patients to Monaghan General Hospital

North Monaghan Sinn Féin Councillor and Regional Health Forum member, Brian McKenna, has received a commitment from the HSE that Monaghan General Hospital could and would receive patients from Drogheda and Dublin hospitals following procedures being carried out. Cllr. McKenna had previously highlighted the fact that only patients treated in Cavan could be transferred to Monaghan. He had pointed out the waste of step down and rehabilitation beds available in Monaghan under the previous scheme was informed at a meeting of the Regional Health Forum by Hospital Network Manager Mr. Stephen Mulvany that so long as a reasonable number of beds were available for Cavan patients returning then other patients from Drogheda or Dublin hospitals could and should be accommodated in Monaghan.

Cllr. McKenna in response to Mr. Mulvany’s statement at the meeting requested that this be communicated to the relevant people in the other hospitals. Cllr. McKenna in a statement afterwards said: “this is an issue I have raised in recent months and I know of a number of instances where the HSE have refused to repatriate patients from Drogheda back to Monaghan General Hospital to recover from operations. I very much want to welcome Mr. Mulvany’s acknowledgment of the folly of such a policy and furthermore his commitment to issue the appropriate instruction to the relevant hospitals and staff members. I would encourage people who are unable to cope at home with family members recovering from operations to insist that they are returned to Monaghan where they will receive the appropriate care from qualified staff and make visiting much easier for their relatives. There is no valid reason why beds should be empty in Monaghan and patients lying on trolleys in Cavan, Drogheda or Dublin hospitals” Cllr. McKenna concluded.

SF Regional Heath Forum rep claims HSE are putting Patient Safety at risk

North Monaghan Sinn Féin councillor and member of the Dublin/ North East Regional Health Forum, Brian McKenna, has said the HSE are putting at risk the lives of patients in North Monaghan following their relocation of the Rapid Response Vehicle from Monaghan to Castleblayney. Cllr. McKenna said:

“The North-East Transformation document drawn up prior to the removal of acute medical cover from Monaghan General Hospital promised an enhanced ambulance service which included a Rapid Response Vehicle with appropriately trained advanced paramedics to be based in the county town.

“Since the withdrawal of acute medical cover from the Louth Hospital in Dundalk the HSE have relocated this Rapid Response Vehicle to Castleblayney to provide cover in the North Louth areas. This is a hugely dangerous move and it is placing the lives of people in North Monaghan at serious risk. Where is the concern we hear regularly from HSE and Fianna Fáil spokespersons about patient safety and quality of care. The HSE and government parties have once again broken their commitments to the people of Monaghan.

“I will continue to highlight these failures on their part. Meanwhile, it is incumbent on all political parties to pressurise the HSE to honour its promises to the people. There is especially a responsibility on Fianna Fáil councillors and TD’s to once and for all stand up for the people of County Monaghan. They had the power to keep acute medical cover in Monaghan General Hospital and the failed to do so. They now have the power to have the Rapid Response Vehicle located in our county town but are remaining silent on the issue. It is the very least that the people of North Monaghan should expect” Cllr. McKenna concluded.

Brian McKenna secures Regional Health Forum backing for retention of services at St. Davnet’s Hospital

North Monaghan Sinn Féin Councillor and member of the HSE Regional Health Forum, Brian McKenna, successfully moved a motion to that body calling for the retention of the Admissions Unit and Day Care Centre at St. Davnet’s Psychiatric Hospital in Monaghan. Significantly the motion was passed unanimously by all the members present at the meeting of the forum held on Monday last.

In moving the motion Cllr. Mckenna stated that St. Davnet’s had a “proud record of service stretching back a long number of years to people in need of psychiatric support from the Cavan and Monaghan areas”. Referring to the document ‘a vision for change’ which recommends the integration of people with psychiatric illnesses into the community as opposed to the institutionalisation method Cllr. McKenna said that St. Davnet’s had led the way in this respect and indeed was now used as a template by the authors of that report.

According to the Sinn Féin representative “St. Davnet’s is now been made the victim of its own success. However many professionals within the psychiatric services still believe that there is still a need for an admissions unit at St. Davnet’s catering for people with severe problems or who have no family to support them in the wider community”.

He continued: “The proposed closure of the ‘Day Centre’ runs contrary to stated government policy as set out in the aforementioned ‘vision for change’ which encourages care in the community.” Cllr. McKenna called on the HSE to recognise the tremendous contribution that St. Davnet’s had provided and continues to provide to those in need of psychiatric services. He also stated that the fact that the Regional Health Forum had unanimously supported a motion calling for the retention of these services presented a challenge to the HSE and the government; “will they accept the wishes of the only democratic forum established under the HSE system?” he asked.

McKenna keeps pressure on HSE for Monaghan’s CT Scanner

The Sinn Féin representative on the H.S.E. Regional Health Forum, Cllr. Brian McKenna, raised the issue of the long promised CT scanner for Monaghan General Hospital at Monday’s meeting of the body. In a question to HSE officials Cllr. McKenna asked if the new CT scanner had been installed; if not, when would it be so; and when will the necessary staff to operate the scanner be in position?

In their response the HSE stated that “the new CT scanner for Monaghan Hospital has been delivered and is currently being installed and is due to be commissioned in the near future. Training for staff has been ongoing and the service is expected to commence in June on a phased basis initially, with support from Radiology Staff in Cavan. A total of 1.2 WTE Posts has been agreed under the Transformation programme for this service.”

In reply Cllr. Mckenna expressed disappointment with the HSE response stating that it appeared that the operational date for the scanner has been put on the long finger once again, this time till June. “At our meeting in January I was informed that the CT scanner would in commissioned by mid-February. This is not acceptable and I will be doing my best to ensure that it is put in place, as promised, as soon as possible” he concluded.