HOSPITAL CRISIS - BREE CALLS ON HSE AND GOVERNMENT TO REVERSE DECISION

Speaking at a meeting of the Regional Health Forum in Galway this week, Cllr Declan Bree called on the Health Service Executive and the Government to reverse the decision to lay off front line staff at Sligo General Hospital.

“In the period since the health boards were abolished by the Government the level of public accountability in the health service has diminished significantly.  It is obvious that many HSE officials feel that they can do as they wish and that they are accountable to no one.” Cllr Bree said.

“Since this Regional Health Forum was established in February 2006 we have had numerous and well considered discussions and debates relating to the state of the health services in this region.  We have adopted many motions and made many recommendations relating to the improvement and development of the health services and copies of all these motions and recommendations were forwarded to Professor Drumm, and the Health Service Executive.    

“However, to date we never had any response good, bad or indifferent from the HSE to any motion or recommendation adopted by this Health Forum.    And in my view this is typical of the manner in which the HSE treats elected public representatives and it’s typical of the way in which the HSE treats the taxpayer and the general public.

“On Thursday morning last the HSE decided to implement major lay offs in Sligo General Hospital with four hospital consultants and thirty nurses being laid off.  No information was provided to the members of this Forum regarding this significant decision.  Indeed it would appear that little or no information was given to Jimmy Devins T.D., who not only is a Sligo Dail deputy but is Minister of State at the Department of Health.

“This is typical of the manner in which the HSE carries out its activities.  I first learned of the lay offs on Thursday morning when I received a phone call from a nurse who works in the hospital.  The local media heard of it the same way.  It was after 5 o’ clock on Thursday evening, following numerous requests, that a statement was issued by the “Communication Dept” of the HSE confirming the lay offs.

“To my knowledge not one HSE official, not one bureaucrat, not one of the highly paid HSE managers was prepared to speak to the radio, TV or press about the lay offs.  As soon as the decision was made everyone ran for cover.  This is the way the HSE runs its business.” Cllr Bree said.

“The fact is that the decision to lay of front line staff in Sligo General Hospital and to place a total ban on the replacement of staff is a direct attack on the interests of patients and will clearly lead to a deterioration of standards in services at the hospital.

“Last week Minister Jimmy Devins was saying that patient care would not be hit by any of the cuts being implemented in Sligo General Hospital. This is the same type of propaganda we hear from Minister Harney and the HSE.   The fact is that Sligo general hospital simply cannot maintain its services to patients when key medical consultants and nurses are being laid off.  And Minister Harney and Minister Devins and Professor Drumm now have a duty and an obligation to the people of this region to ensure that this decision is reversed.

“The financial difficulties or budget overruns within the HSE are not the fault of the staff who treat patients, nor is it the fault of patients who become sick and have to be admitted to hospital.  Yet because of the layoffs it is the very people who the HSE are supposed to provide a service to that will in effect be penalised.

“All of us know that the health service cannot function properly without maintaining key staff.   What the lay offs and ban on replacement means is that if a key doctor or consultant becomes ill or his or her contract comes up for renewal, a locum cannot even be recruited.  While everyone recognises the need to keep costs under control, a blanket ban that makes no differentiation between the replacement of a Specialist or cancer care nurse on the one hand, or the recruitment of an additional member of management on the other, simply cannot be justified.” said Cllr Bree.

“The decision to lay off so many front line staff in Sligo General Hospital is clearly a sign of crisis management and it is obvious that these ill thought-out decisions will only lead to further chaos in the delivery of services.

“It’s now clear that the HSE is incapable of managing the services and incapable of managing its own money and the decision of Minister Mary Harney to hand over full control of the health services has proven to be major mistake.

“When Minister Harney created the HSE she created a type of Frankenstein monster that is run by faceless bureaucrats drawn from all parts of the country, who appear to be answerable to no one.

“When the health boards existed details of budgeting and overspending or underspending were brought before the members of the Health Board and considered.   This was an open and transparent system where elected representatives had the opportunity debating such matters with senior management – and of course this was all covered by and published in the local media.

“However in the period since the Government abolished the Health Boards, openness, transparency and public accountability have become a thing of the past.

“Minister Harneys decision to hand over control of the health services to the HSE has been a major mistake and she and the Government can not be allowed to wash their hands of the problem.   Minister Harney and the Government are responsible for creating the crisis and they must now move to resolve it.   I am now calling on the Minister and on Professor Drumm and the HSE to immediately reverse the outrageous decision to lay off the front line staff in Sligo General Hospital.” said Cllr Bree.