Fears mounting for 24-hour A&E in Ballinasloe

Fears are mounting this week for the future of the 24-hour emergency department at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe after it was revealed in the HSE's National Service Plan that agency costs are to be halved this year and Health Minister James Reilly said yesterday (Tuesday) that more hospitals will have their emergency departments downgraded this year. The HSE's National Service Plan, which was published on Monday, outlined that the health service will have to reduce the use of agency staff by 50% in 2012. Portiuncula's emergency department is heavily reliant on the use of agency staff, particularly agency non-consultant hospital doctors, and Monday's announcement has raised fears for the future of the 24 hours service at the emergency department. Yesterday Health Minister James Reilly told the media that more hospitals will have their emergency departments downgraded this year, but would not say which hospitals or how many would be downgraded. He said a consultation process was ongoing. Minister Reilly told the Irish Examiner: "I'm not going to say which ones at this point in time, because that would be to pre-judge the situation in relation to the individual hospitals when there's a consultation process going on." He said a number of facilities would be downgraded to urgent care centres, saying he hoped the figure would be less than ten. Independent TD Denis Naughten said: "I am extremely concerned regarding any threat to staffing levels at the emergency department at Portiuncula Hospital, not only because of the existing and traditional catchment serviced in South Roscommon, South Westmeath and East Galway, but now that it is the main hospital for Roscommon following the closure of the emergency department in Roscommon. "If the scale of agency staff cuts announced by the HSE were to be implemented in Portiuncula then the 24/7 emergency department would be under threat and we would see the hours reduced and potentially back to an 8 to 8 service." Both Deputy Naughten and Roscommon Hospital Action Committee chairman John McDermott have expressed concern for Portiuncula and Roscommon hospitals due to the fact there is only one budget for the four hospitals in the west - Portiuncula, Roscommon, UCHG and Merlin Park - as opposed to individual budgets for each hospital, as had been the case in previous years. The new management structures sees the four hospitals being run under the one umbrella with one budget and both Deputy Naughten and Mr McDermott saying they had concerns that Portiuncula and Roscommon would lose out so that the budget deficit in Galway could be addressed. Deputy Naughten said: "Portiuncula now has, thanks to recent appointments, the opportunity to increase private patient input and I fear that the money generated will fill a hole in Galway, rather than developing services in Portiuncula Hospital." Mr McDermott said: "They're talking about cuts of up to 8% in acute hospitals. Galway is totally over budget and I'm concerned that Portiuncula and Roscommon will suffer to balance the books in Galway."