Plans to reorganise the State’s hospitals into six regional groups are set to be approved by Cabinet and formally announced within the week.
The plans have been delayed for months because of opposition in some areas and individual hospitals, but Minister for Health James Reilly believes these difficulties have now been overcome.
In particular, Ministers believe potential opposition in the southeast to any perceived downgrading of Waterford Regional Hospital has been defused through a number of concessions.
There still will not be a specific group in the region, with Waterford being linked to hospitals in Cork and Kerry and other hospitals in the southeast being grouped with institutions in Dublin. However, Waterford Regional Hospital is expected to be renamed Waterford University Teaching Hospital and academic teaching posts are to be provided for consultants.
Trauma services
Oncology services for the region will be retained regardless of link-ups by Wexford and Kilkenny hospitals with other groups. Round-the-clock interventional cardiology services will also be provided at the hospital, and Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who visited Waterford last month, has confirmed that trauma services are to be retained.
The setting up of hospital groups is a precursor to the creation of independent hospital trusts and a pooling of resources and services among members of a particular grouping.
The proposed reorganisation amounts to the biggest change in the health system since the creation of the HSE. All hospitals in a particular group would operate shared services and posts would be filled centrally. The new structure would extend teaching hospital standards to smaller hospitals which at present find it hard to recruit suitably qualified medical staff.
The plan was drawn up by John Higgins, professor of obstetrics at Cork Maternity Hospital, whose report has been under consideration in Dr Reilly’s department since last year. He has recommended the creation of six hospital groups centred on large teaching hospitals.
More than 12,000 people marched in Waterford last November over fears that the changes suggested by Prof Higgins could result in a dilution of local services and job losses.
The report, which has not been published, proposes that the Mater hospital, which has traditional links to the Rotunda, be grouped with St Vincent’s and hospitals in Loughlinstown, Holles Street, Mullingar, Navan, Wexford and Kilkenny. Teaching leadership for this group would come from UCD.
Cavan, Dundalk and Drogheda would also form part of the Rotunda/Beaumont/Connolly configuration.
Trinity College would be the lead academic partner for a group comprising St James's, Tallaght, Naas, The Coombe, Tullamore and Portlaoise.
Cork city
In the south, Bantry and Waterford hospitals would be grouped with hospitals in Cork city.
The remaining groups would cover hospitals in and around Limerick and in Galway and the northwest.
