Council seeks meeting with hospital chiefs
Councillors have requested a meeting with the General Manager and Clinical Lead at Cavan General Hospital to discuss what have been described as “public issues of care” relating to operational procedures at the local hospital.
Hospital management has been invited to attend a public meeting of Cavan County Council, or alternatively meet elected members in committee, behind closed doors, to address concerns directly.
The request comes amid growing public concern following a recent case in which a 12-year-old child reportedly spent 27 hours in pain awaiting an appendectomy before later being diagnosed with sepsis.
The case was highlighted last week by Pauline Tully, who told the Seanad that nurses caring for the child repeatedly sought medical intervention, but their calls allegedly went unanswered.
It was further stated that the child’s mother had connections with the North East Sepsis Awareness (NESA), and because symptoms were recognised quickly, an immediate medical response was initiated. The child is now understood to be responding to treatment.
Representatives from NESA delivered a presentation on their work raising awareness around the potentially life-threatening condition at the same May monthly meeting as Shane P. O'Reilly tabled his motion seeking engagement with hospital management.
Opening the debate, Cllr O’Reilly said he was “very proud” of the hospital and acknowledged the lifesaving care he himself had received.
“I wouldn’t be here only for them,” he remarked.
However, he said his admiration had been tempered by troubling reports concerning operational procedures and the pressures being faced by both staff and patients.
“We have to ask why?” he stated, while crediting Senator Tully for bringing the recent case to public attention.
Cllr O’Reilly questioned how the Emergency Department in Cavan could be expected to adequately serve a catchment area spanning four counties. He argued that hospitals in both Monaghan and Navan could provide greater support, noting the success of the minor injuries unit in both despite recurring concerns over the future of services there.
“I put down this motion out of pure and utter concern,” said Cllr O'Reilly, also highlighting the effect of the recruitment embargo on unfilled positions within the health service.
“It’s our hospital,” he stressed, before adding that he is not seeking “a haranguing session or an argument” with hospital management, but rather an open and constructive discussion around the challenges facing frontline services.
He lastly reserved strong criticism for the Dublin North East HSE Health Forum, describing it as ineffective, and claiming meetings were held only on an “ad hoc” basis despite having elected representatives attached to it.
The Independent Ireland councillor said previous correspondence he had sent to the forum had gone unanswered, before branding it little more than a “talking shop”.
The motion received support from Sinn Féin's Stiofán Conaty, who stressed that staff working within the hospital are not to blame for the ongoing difficulties.
He said overcrowding remained a serious issue and argued that maintaining public “trust” in the hospital was essential.
Independent councillor Brendan Fay also shared his own recent experience of spending more than 22 hours in the Emergency Department with a family member awaiting treatment.
While praising the commitment and professionalism of staff, he said there was “only so much” they could do under current conditions.
The debate concluded with a suggestion that, if hospital management declined the invitation to meet, the issue should be escalated further within the health service hierarchy.
* Published with support from the Local Democracy Scheme