HSE board warns patients could die at Navan hospital due to safety risks

The board of the Health Service Executive has warned that patients could die unless services at Our Lady’s Hospital in Navan are quickly reconfigured.

It has once again endorsed the decision of HSE management to transfer patients bound for the Co Meath hospital’s emergency department to other hospitals in the region, newly-published minutes show.

At the time of the meeting in late July, a review of the original HSE decision to reconfigure services at Navan ordered by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly was underway. Endorsing the management decision, the board said this work would continue in parallel with the review “in light of the patient safety risks”.

The board noted it was intended for the review and validation process to be completed by the end of August. “The expectation of the board is that the reconfiguration process would be concluded by the end of September as the Board remains very concerned about the potential for loss of life and serious harm to patients at Our Lady’s Hospital Navan as well as the need to mitigate the potential impact of the necessary changes in OLHN on other services.”

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On Sunday, the HSE said the report of the review group has been completed and sent to the Minister. “We want to give him the opportunity to review it and so have no further comment at this point,” a spokesman added.

A spokesman for Mr Donnelly said he had received the review it is currently under consideration. Pending this, no decision has been made about Navan.

“While recognising very real clinical concerns raised by the HSE, the Minister has made it clear that several important issues, including additional capacity in other hospitals impacted, and the continued ability of people in the Navan area to access emergency and urgent care, would need to be fully addressed before any proposed transition by the HSE.”

[ Protests held at HSE HQ over planned closure of Navan emergency department ]

The HSE’s original plan was to convert the emergency department (ED) to a 24-hour medical assessment unit where patients would have to be referred by a GP, and critically-ill patients would be transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

Mr Donnelly highlighted a series of concerns over the plans and subsequently instructed the HSE not to proceed with the reconfiguration of the ED, which was originally to happen at the end of June. Senior clinicians in Drogheda also raised concerns about the capacity there for the diverted patients.

The Save Navan Hospital Campaign, which has labelled the review a “sham”, picketed the HSE head office in Dublin earlier this month.