No ward closures despite curtainment

The surgical unit at Cavan General Hospital will continue to provide both planned and emergency surgery on a 24-hour, seven-day basis, state the HSE when commenting on the curtailment of services over the summer months. Twenty inpatient procedures are being rescheduled at the hospital as a result of the realignment of services over the holiday season. The HSE say that the curtailment of services at the hospital over the summer has been taken in order to stay within service delivery targets. The HSE say that while some beds may not be required during the realignment period, they definitely are not closing any wards in Cavan during the summer. Meanwhile the National Cancer Control programme has instructed management and staff at the Cavan Monaghan Hospital Group that as and from June 1, 2010, all patients who require rectal cancer surgery must undergo their procedures in a designated cancer centre. The designated centres for Dublin North East are Beaumont hospital and the Mater hospital. The consultant referring a patient from the Cavan Monaghan hospital group can send the patient to those designated centres or indeed any designated cancer centre. An average of 14 rectal cancer surgical procedures were completed annually at Cavan Monaghan Hospital Group over the past five years and the HSE say that the decision to have rectal cancer surgery performed in the designated centres will improve the outcome for these patients. Asked if there was now a significant curtailment of surgical procedures at Cavan General Hospital, the HSE stated that the broad range of surgical and gynaecological procedures currently performed in Cavan General Hospital would continue in full. The surgical unit will continue to provide both planned and emergency surgery on a 24-hour, seven-day week basis, they said. There will be no elective surgical or gynaecology procedures performed at Cavan General Hospital in the period from Monday, June 28 to Friday, July 9 inclusive. During this period, there will be no elective surgical, ENT or gynaecology procedures carried out at Monaghan hospital. There will be a curtailment of elective services at Cavan General Hospital in the period from Monday, August 2 to Friday, August 6. The same will apply in respect of Monaghan hospital. A further curtailment of elective services will be implemented at Cavan and Monaghan hospitals between Monday, August 9 until Friday, August 20 inclusive.