Mallow General Hospital set to be busier under healthcare reform plans – Collins

Welcoming the reconfiguration of services at Mallow General Hospital (MGH), Fine Gael Cork North West Deputy, Áine Collins, said the reform plans set out by the Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly TD, will ensure that smaller hospitals play a bigger role in meeting the healthcare needs of the people. Deputy Collins said the replacement of the Emergency Department at MGH with an Urgent Care Centre will see the structure of the hospital changed while the majority of people attending at the hospital will continue to be treated there.

“The Emergency Department at MGH is being replaced by an Urgent Care Centre, made up of a Local Injury Unity and a Medical Assessment Unit. Both Units will be open seven days a week from 8.00am to 8.00pm and when patients present at the hospital, they will be directed to the unit that is best suited to treating their medical needs.

“Issues such as broken bones, sprains and strains, facial injuries, minor scalds and burns will be dealt with at the Local Injury Unit, with x-rays, stitches and plaster casts being availed of at the Unit. The Unit is led by a consultant in emergency medicine and staffed by registrars, nurses and radiographers. The Medical Assessment Unit, on the other hand, will treat those who are suffering from symptoms such as breathlessness, chest pain or blackouts, with patients having access to x-rays, blood tests and scans at this Unit.

“MGH will now focus on the delivery of surgical and emergency services and this reconfiguration of services will see the throughput of the hospital increase significantly. Smaller hospitals have a critical role to play in the reform of our health services. By ensuring that people are treated at the lowest level of complexity as close to home as possible we can reengineer our healthcare system to finally deliver a system that is worthy of the Irish people.

“By transferring a range of surgical procedures from the city hospitals such as Cork University Hospital (CUH) and the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) to Mallow, activity levels at the hospital can be increased, allowing Mallow to become a specialist in certain areas. Previously, approximately six people per week attended the Emergency Department by night at Mallow so the transfer of complex services and emergency care means that more than 85% of patients currently attending Mallow General Hospital will continue to receive treatment there.

“We have suffered a sub-standard health service for too long now. Reform is badly needed. Under Minister Reilly that reform will be delivered for the benefit of all of our people.”
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