The HSE has announced plans to shut the emergency department at Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan and will soon replace it with a Medical Assessment Unit with support from a Local Injuries Unit.
Once established, the new facility will operate 24/7 and will continue to see up to 80% of the 25-30 patients who currently arrive at the hospital’s ED each day.
The decision to shut the emergency department came after it was found that Navan hospital’s ED did not meet safe clinical standards for certain patients’ needs - such as treatment for major heart attacks, suspected strokes, and major trauma.
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It also does not have the capability to deal with those requiring maternity or paediatric care, which has time and time again resulted in patients having to endure long waits on arrival at Navan Hospital.
Once the new facility is in operation, patients who cannot be managed will be sent directly to an appropriate hospital in order to ensure they receive the highest quality of care without delay.
Speaking about the incoming changes, Clinical Director of Our Lady’s Hospital, Navan, and consultant surgeon at the Mater Hospital Mr. Gerry McEntee said: “The critically ill patients of County Meath will now be provided with the best opportunity of survival by being brought directly to the nearest Model 3 or 4 hospitals.
“This reconfiguration is supported by the physicians, the surgeons, the anaesthetists, the junior doctors, and the ED nursing staff in OLHN who have all expressed their concerns regarding current ED patient safety.”
HSE Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Colm Henry added: “In line with what has been successfully implemented in other hospitals, OLHN will maintain and expand on most of the services it now provides.
“A small proportion of patients who currently present to OLHN and who have complex needs or life-threatening conditions will need to go directly to another hospital to ensure that they can access all the care they need.
“OLHN will be developed in line with Sláintecare principles, providing a wider range of services including day care and specialist services.
“These changes now being made will protect patient safety while positioning OLHN as a vibrant, multi-service hospital for the people of Navan and the wider catchment area across Meath,” said Dr. Henry.
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