HSE throwing more money away

Bang Bang

The CT scanner in St Colmcille's Hospital Loughlinstown has been broken for a number of months now. The cost to repair it works out at around €6000, the HSE haven't bothered getting it fixed yet. So what happen's to patient's requiring a CT scan?
They're sent to one of the private clinics in the Dublin area. The cost so far to the tax payer for this practice was at the last count of two weeks ago standing at €77,000.
Now why am I posting this in the Emergency Service's forum?
Because the number of ambulances being used for this practice to transport these patients can be five or more per day shift, the cost to the tax payer for the ambulance's to do these runs is not included in the €77,000 (which has of course has risen in the two weeks since that count) so the actual cost to date is much higher.
The number of emergency ambulances in the South Dublin region is seriously reduced during these times.
The drain on ambulances is already known, there aren't enough ambulances to cover emergency calls at times, yet the HSE won't spend €6000 to repair a CT scanner which would not only reduce the strain on the tax payer, but also free up more ambulances to respond to 999/112 calls.
So it's no wonder the governent felt the need to increase taxes, in perticular the hidden health levy, sure with incompetency like what's happening with that CT scanner how is the country surviving at all....

Random

Basing my opinion soley on your post - that's a poorly thought out backwards way for the HSE to do business.

At this point with the knowledge that it would be €6000 to fix it and if they're paying this every couple of weeks anyway - you'd think it would be a better solution to just fix.

I don't suppose the different issues are other peoples budgets or anything?

DrIndy

its HSE stupidity and beaurocracy - I can list many, many more of this ineptitudes.

There are different budgets and divisions and nobody is in control or charge for service or regional management. The best balony is the HSE north east - where they plan to close all hospitals and relocate to drogheda "on a temporary measure" until a greenfield hospital is constructed - can drogheda cope? Barely as it is!

timmywex

No one will take charge, no one will take the blame.

It happens every day of the week, builders totally raping the opw also, its crazy how much moey is wasted every where!


Perfect example is this; not an es issue but a waste, fas race came by me back 2 weeks ago or so, was going through town (wexford) so they decided they would remove all the traffic islands and ped crossings for them!! Now to turn back afterwards to put them back in, a weeks work in all and theyre still not entirely done, whoever paid for that.....what a waste!!

TheNog

Good God I have heard of waste but this one really takes the biscuit.

Is there no accountability in the HSE at all?

arybvtcw0eolkf

TheNog wrote: »

Good God I have heard of waste but this one really takes the biscuit.

Is there no accountability in the HSE at all?

Sarcasim?.. :P

It goes right accross the board in government depts.

Example, I needed a small procedure done awhile back. Privately it cost just under €500-, but would the Defence Forces pay for it? - not on your Nelly, instead they had me off sick for ten months at a cost of well over €30k (thats flat wage, which I've no idea off but over €30K is a good guess).

So rounding it down, they spent €30K to save €500!.

I'm sure any of us here working in the public service can point to similar or worse.

But god help the guys in the health service working under Drum, it must be the most infuriating job out there.

drzhivago

Bang Bang wrote: »

The CT scanner in St Colmcille's Hospital Loughlinstown has been broken for a number of months now. The cost to repair it works out at around €6000, the HSE haven't bothered getting it fixed yet. So what happen's to patient's requiring a CT scan?
They're sent to one of the private clinics in the Dublin area. The cost so far to the tax payer for this practice was at the last count of two weeks ago standing at €77,000.
Now why am I posting this in the Emergency Service's forum?
Because the number of ambulances being used for this practice to transport these patients can be five or more per day shift, the cost to the tax payer for the ambulance's to do these runs is not included in the €77,000 (which has of course has risen in the two weeks since that count) so the actual cost to date is much higher.
The number of emergency ambulances in the South Dublin region is seriously reduced during these times.
The drain on ambulances is already known, there aren't enough ambulances to cover emergency calls at times, yet the HSE won't spend €6000 to repair a CT scanner which would not only reduce the strain on the tax payer, but also free up more ambulances to respond to 999/112 calls.
So it's no wonder the governent felt the need to increase taxes, in perticular the hidden health levy, sure with incompetency like what's happening with that CT scanner how is the country surviving at all....

Thats just like the story of the man pulling people out of the river constantly but no one goes up river to stop them going in

Crazy HSE double standards

Do they expect now to actually close the CT scanner in St Colmcilles because they have shown they can do without it now!!

DubMedic

so basically they have spent a tenth of what it would cost to roll out stab vests for the NAS .. but still wont get it fixed.

Bang Bang

DubMedic wrote: »

so basically they have spent a tenth of what it would cost to roll out stab vests for the NAS .. but still wont get it fixed.

And they won't bother paying €600 per vehicle to retrofit escape hatches in the roofs of the first batch of WAS Mercedes ambulance's, knowing that they are a serious fire hazzard. In the event of the vehicle rolling onto the near side, whoever is in the back will have little chance of escape.

And the CT debacle continues with the cost rising every day and emergency ambulances being tied up doing these transfers.....

Beruthiel

The fact that my hard earned tax money is being just wasted away like this sickens me to the core.

Trojan911

Bang Bang wrote: »

The CT scanner in St Colmcille's Hospital Loughlinstown has been broken for a number of months now. The cost to repair it works out at around €6000, the HSE haven't bothered getting it fixed yet. So what happen's to patient's requiring a CT scan?
They're sent to one of the private clinics in the Dublin area. The cost so far to the tax payer for this practice was at the last count of two weeks ago standing at €77,000.
Now why am I posting this in the Emergency Service's forum?
Because the number of ambulances being used for this practice to transport these patients can be five or more per day shift, the cost to the tax payer for the ambulance's to do these runs is not included in the €77,000 (which has of course has risen in the two weeks since that count) so the actual cost to date is much higher.
The number of emergency ambulances in the South Dublin region is seriously reduced during these times.
The drain on ambulances is already known, there aren't enough ambulances to cover emergency calls at times, yet the HSE won't spend €6000 to repair a CT scanner which would not only reduce the strain on the tax payer, but also free up more ambulances to respond to 999/112 calls.
So it's no wonder the governent felt the need to increase taxes, in perticular the hidden health levy, sure with incompetency like what's happening with that CT scanner how is the country surviving at all....

Why don't you approach the press? Can I assume by your post you have the means & inside knowledge to support the claims you make here?

So, why not expose it?

Trojan911

Trojan911 wrote: »

Why don't you approach the press? Can I assume by your post you have the means & inside knowledge to support the claims you make here?

So, why not expose it?

A good idea but considering the amount of stories on waste in the HSE and even worse people dying because of incompetence will it make any difference? I think not.

DubMedic

I have been in a few of these new WAS Mercedes and i get a sense of safety when i'm inside them . However, i wouldn't feel safe knowing that if there was a collision and my ambulance toppled over that i cannot get out because my wonderful HSE management has not bothered their arses to pay an extra bit of change to ensure my safety and that of other crew members/patient.
How much does it take to train a Paramedic.. alot more than it takes for to put in a hatch on a vehicle! .

Would love to see Mary Harney or Brian Lenihan / BIFFO crawling out under a car at 3 in the morning to help a driver who has wrote off his car because he fell asleep at the wheel after leaving his second job he had to take up.. trying to gather the money to pay his bills and feed his family. I don't think they would be long in lowering the paycut ( sorry i mean pensions levy , god how did i get those two mixed up:rolleyes: ) after seeing what Paramedics have to put up with day by day.
This government needs to be taken out to an isolated barn and left there to fend for themselves, afterwards we can bring in a new government that actually knows what the words paycut and job mean.

Trojan911

DubMedic wrote: »

Would love to see Mary Harney or Brian Lenihan / BIFFO crawling out under a car at 3 in the morning

Now that would be a front page splash.....

ART6

As an ordinary citizen I am inclined to think that the criticisms in this thread are misplaced. Surely everyone must understand the priority importance of management consultants when the HSE is in serious deficit?:rolleyes:

Of course, getting rid of the Harney Drumm band might be an alternative strategy.

Apologies for trolling!

timmywex

ART6 wrote: »

As an ordinary citizen I am inclined to think that the criticisms in this thread are misplaced. Surely everyone must understand the priority importance of management consultants when the HSE is in serious deficit?:rolleyes:

Of course, getting rid of the Harney Drumm band might be an alternative strategy.

Apologies for trolling!

Yeh, we all understand the importance of giving the concultants a huge pay packet and a new contract!

ART6

timmywex wrote: »

Yeh, we all understand the importance of giving the concultants a huge pay packet and a new contract!

I was actually thinking of the management consultants, who at a cost of €17 millions are apparently trying to teach Prof Drumm how to manage a large organisation. But I take your point. €50 million over the top because no-one spotted the consequences of the new medical consultant's contract? That would buy a lot of ambulances that don't catch fire and scanners that actually work. €67 millions and counting, ladies and gentlemen:(

Trojan911

foreign wrote: »

A good idea but considering the amount of stories on waste in the HSE and even worse people dying because of incompetence will it make any difference? I think not.

True, however, with the elections coming up it will refresh the taxpaying publics minds, before they vote, just how incompetent those who are in charge actually are.

Trojan911

Trojan911 wrote: »

True, however, with the elections coming up it will refresh the taxpaying publics minds, before they vote, just how incompetent those who are in charge actually are.

Local elections. They won't make the slightest bit of difference other than give FF a bloody nose. They won't have a general election when they have not hope of winning.

Bang Bang

Trojan911 wrote: »

Why don't you approach the press? Can I assume by your post you have the means & inside knowledge to support the claims you make here?

So, why not expose it?

I am not permitted to speak to the press and I'm led to believe that most media forms, newspapers etc won't run with anonymous story lines. but someone told me that an article was run in a local South Dublin newspaper, I have not seen this article.

Meanwhile the money continues to be thrown away with over half dozen patients requiring ambulances today for transfering to a private clinic for CT scans. The cost is now fast approaching €100,000, again, this cost does not include the cost to the tax payer of providing ambulances for these transfers.
Keep in mind too that these are emergency ambulances being tied up and left unavailable to respond to emergency calls.