HEAltH MAttErS 15
reform
+ Dr Quigley welcomes
Deputy Mary Harney
tD, Minister for Health &
Children during a recent
visit to Wexford General
Hospital.
in Irish healthcare where we build trust. trust this concept of reconfiguration is not about
that is built around a commitment to the downgrading hospitals. It is, indeed, about
best outcomes for patients. reconfiguration altering and changing the role of hospitals.
“the need for honesty
should not be and must not be about saving We face huge challenges of over-crowding
in future debate and
money. It must be about freeing money to and slow access. these are details that must
invest elsewhere to get better health value for be addressed and fixed with the support of
discussion is obvious
all our patients. everybody involved. We need as a society, as
and a partnership is
the money invested in the new Emergency a community, to aim for the best outcomes
department in Drogheda, together with the for patients, with faster access, best quality of
required between patients,
48 beds in the new wards and the opening of care, for a sensible cost. that inevitably forces
physicians, politicians and
a Medical Assessment Unit will help care for us, as a society, to reconfigure and reform
all patients in the region and especially those our hospital service now to provide for faster
the public”
from the Dundalk area. access, better care, with best use of money.
Money is an enormously difficult issue at We must build trust in the re-configuration
the moment. there will not be enough money process, by putting the patient first at
to do the ideal things, so we have to provide all times.
what is needed, not only in hospitals but also If we fail to reconfigure and feel that
in Community Care. We need to demonstrate no change is necessary, then the risks to A native of Cork, Dr Quigley is a past
that this is done, by ensuring sufficient care patients will increase and our hospitals will President of both the Medical Council
packages are available to maintain our become unsustainable and unsafe. Some and the Irish Hospital Consultants
elderly in our community. We must ensure of our hospitals will become unstaffable and Association. He was also recently
that patients who have completed treatment eventually unpopular, leading to service- appointed Project Clinical Leader for the
can go to nursing beds in the community failure. We have to anticipate the needs of the review on reconfiguring hospital services
rather than be left in an acute hospital bed. community, not just for this year, but also for for counties Carlow, Kilkenny, South
We will use beds in Louth County Hospital the next 10 and 20 years’ time. The need for Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford. He
for step-down and rehabilitation of patients honesty in future debate and discussion is is a Consultant Physician at Wexford
discharged from acute care but transfer back obvious and a partnership is required between General Hospital.
into our community. patients, physicians, politicians and the public.
health matters is 4.indd 15 27/11/2009 20:35:04
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