Future of St Luke's Hospital

redtelephone

Looking at the Hospital Groups Report recommendations, finally published today, I got the impression that St Luke's in Kilkenny could lose out to Wexford and Waterford. While it recommends Kilkenny and Wexford hospitals being grouped with the Dublin East (Mater/St. Vincent's), two things struck me:

1.It is recommended that Kilcreene is to be managed from Waterford. (p.25)

2. The following assurance is given regarding Wexford General Hospital:

"Wexford General Hospital, because of its geographic location, similar to Kerry and Letterkenny General
Hospitals, should retain its full range of Emergency Department (ED), medical, surgical, maternity and
paediatric services."(p.23)

There is no such assurance in the case of St. Lukes, and I wonder why there was a specific reference here to Wexford but not to Kilkenny. Does it mean that Kilkenny may not retain all of these services?

As for WRH:

Waterford Regional Hospital will continue to be an NCCP centre, retaining its current population referral
base for cancer patients. Joint consultant appointments, such as general surgery shared with Wexford,
across the groups will continue to support the specialist cancer services it provides.
Waterford Regional Hospital will continue to be the hub for the South East renal services which include a
centre of haemodialysis, renal home therapies (peritoneal dialysis/home haemodialysis) and renal
transplant follow up.
Waterford Regional Hospital will continue to be a regional trauma centre, including ED, Ear, Nose and
Throat (ENT) and Ophthalmology. To ensure WRH continues to provide the full range of elective and trauma
orthopaedics services, Lourdes Orthopaedic Hospital, Kilcreene will be managed from WRH within the new
South/South West group structure. (It is currently managed by St Luke’s Hospital, Carlow/ Kilkenny.)
Waterford Regional Hospital will continue to provide invasive cardiology services for the South East
population.

It looks like no change for either Wexford or Waterford's services, but there's no such assurance regarding St. Luke's. Hopefully I'm wrong.

The report is here
http://www.dohc.ie/publications/pdf/IndHospTrusts.pdf?direct=1

road_high

Thought we may have been put with port laoise and Naas as they are the closest geographically. Wexford general is a total no no for access from kilkenny and we are not in the same group as the others so I'm not too worried about loosing services or the risk there of. We are far awsy located from other hospitals in the group i think to retain services. If anything it would be greater in my view had we stayed attached to WRH. Plus I doubt they are spending €15 million in st Luke's for a laugh.
Can read too much into these things sometimes. I think the link to the mater and Vincent's is a positive.

Chiparus

road_high wrote: »

Thought we may have been put with port laoise and Naas as they are the closest geographically. Wexford general is a total no no for access from kilkenny and we are not in the same group as the others so I'm not too worried about loosing services or the risk there of. We are far awsy located from other hospitals in the group i think to retain services. If anything it would be greater in my view had we stayed attached to WRH. Plus I doubt they are spending €15 million in st Luke's for a laugh.
Can read too much into these things sometimes. I think the link to the mater and Vincent's is a positive.

They opened the new emergency department in Roscommon 4 years before the closed it.

Geographically Roscommon was far more isolated than Kilkenny.

road_high

Chiparus wrote: »

They opened the new emergency department in Roscommon 4 years before the closed it.

Geographically Roscommon was far more isolated than Kilkenny.

With a population of what 50-60k? Kilkenny's catchment is over double that.

redtelephone

road_high wrote: »

We are far awsy located from other hospitals in the group i think to retain services.

I think it's strange Kilkenny's services weren't mentioned at all. The report did say Wexford would retain its services. It also says Waterford will retain all its services- "Waterford Regional Hospital will continue to be an NCCP centre, retaining its current population referral base for cancer patients, ..it will continue to be the hub for the South East renal services, ...it will continue to be a regional trauma centre, including ED, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Ophthalmology,.. it will continue to provide invasive cardiology services for the South East. All this makes it look like Waterford will continue to be the main hospital for the South-East, with or without the new Hospital Groups. Or am I missing something?

road_high

redtelephone wrote: »

I think it's strange Kilkenny's services weren't mentioned at all. The report did say Wexford would retain its services. It also says Waterford will retain all its services- "Waterford Regional Hospital will continue to be an NCCP centre, retaining its current population referral base for cancer patients, ..it will continue to be the hub for the South East renal services, ...it will continue to be a regional trauma centre, including ED, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Ophthalmology,.. it will continue to provide invasive cardiology services for the South East. All this makes it look like Waterford will continue to be the main hospital for the South-East, with or without the new Hospital Groups. Or am I missing something?

We are just going to have to wait and see. Just because assurances have been given services will be retained does not mean they will be either on the flip side.

wellboytoo

I imagine the health board offices will be the first target, hard to see how they will be able to justify their existence now that that part of the region is effectively under Dublin control.

Waterford City had four hospitals when I was a kid it now has one, state owned that is, that's all I know on the St Luke's issue so keep yer eyes open and take no comfort from the fact that they are spending big bucks on it,they look at cap ex year to year not like normal people.