'Black hole': North West Healthcare is ‘like the North Pole and melting fast’

The North West has been described as a ‘black hole’ and its healthcare services likened to ‘the North Pole and melting fast’.

A meeting of the Regional Health Forum West this week heard several concerns regarding the provision of some healthcare services in the area.

The meeting heard that the Day Hospital at Carndonagh Community Hospital is no longer suitable for the provision of a day hospital service.

There are currently NO respite places available in the entire Inishowen peninsula, while concerns have been raised about the level of diabetes treatments at Letterkenny University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital.

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A second full-time endocrinologist for adults with T1 diabetes at Letterkenny University Hospital has been advertised. Currently, the role is filled by a locum physician.

Replying to a query from Letterkenny-based Councillor Gerry McMonagle, Ann Cosgrove, the Chief Operations Officer with the Saolta University Health Care Group, said that one adult pump clinic is facilitated each month.

The meeting heard that the provision of a clinical nurse specialist is required to run an adult pump service, which has not been approved yet for Sligo University Hospital.

“The North West is a black hole,” Sligo Councillor Donal Gilroy said. “This is especially so when we talk about insulin pumps. It is shortening my life and I am counting the years that it is making off me.”

Recruitment for a new senior podiatrist has commenced, but Councillor Gerry McMonagle says that there are currently ‘so many services that are deficient and in need of extra support’.

“We met different Ministers and were made promises of endocrinologists, podiatrists and none of it has happened. It doesn’t like it will happen in the short-erm either. We get it regularly and the concerns are heightening as time goes on.”

Inishowen-based Councillor Albert Doherty was told that the day hospital in Carndonagh is not now suitable for the provision of day hospital services.

“Despite ongoing efforts, it has proven extremely challenging to identify an existing building in the locality that was fit for purpose for the provision of day services,” Dermot Monaghan, Chief Officer of Community Healthcare Organisation, said.

Carndonagh Community Hospital

The meeting heard that a community centre in the locally has been identified as a possible site. The HSE’s property management has deemed the premises suitable and a further technical report is to be drawn up before a lease agreement could be arranged.

Mr Monaghan confirmed that 17 people from Inishowen availed of respite care at Ballymacool Respite House in Letterkenny from January 1-September 12 this year.

There is currently no respite available in Inishowen as Riverwalk Respite House has two people residing there permanently while Milltown House in Carndonagh is not set up for respite care.

Urgent referrals for respite are referred to Ballymacool Respite House for consideration and, if no respite is available, families are offered a respite grant.

“We heard of the North West being referred to as a black hole regarding health inadequacies,” Councillor Doherty said.

“I have often heard Donegal described as Alaska and I do believe that my own peninsula of 40,000 plus residents is further north. It is the North Pole and it is melting fast.

“I am very disappointed with the comeback on this. The respite available in Inishowen is inadequate and it is not good enough. I would appeal to the HSE to work at this urgently.

Councillor Albert Doherty

“There does seem to be light at the end of the tunnel in Carndonagh, but I would like to see the potential confirmed. I would like to see a timeline on the technical report and I plead with the HSE to prioritise this paperwork.”

This comes as it was confirmed that attendance figures at LUH’s emergency department have risen by 11 per cent in the last year. At the end of August 2021, the figure was 27,879 with that number soaring to 31,077 by the end of August 2022.

Emergency department admissions have increased to 5,471 from 5,049 - an increase of 8 per cent.

The Saolta University Health Group said, in a response to queries from Councillors Gerry McMonagle and Ciaran Brogan, on the matter, that some ‘pathways have been introduced to improve the patients experience in the Emergency Department’.

These include the beginning of a Community Intervention Team (CIT), who provide care to patients in their own homes.

“Additional funding and resources have been allocated for enhanced CIT,” Saolta said.

A local injury unit has been operational since May, 2022. This, Saolta say, ‘provides a protected space where Advanced Nurse Practitioners and an Emergency Doctor Registrar review patients with minor injury assessment and provide treatment’.

A submission has been made for further funding to extend the opening hours of this local injury unit as part of the Winter Plan.

A spokesperson added that a chest pain pathway and a patient advice and liaison service have begun at LUH while an additional porter has been rostered to the Emergency Department.

In the past five years, admissions to Sligo University Hospital for treatment of severe eating disorders has almost trebled, going from four admissions in 2017 to 15 in 2021.

There has been no increase in the staffing level of the inpatient teams during this period and none are planned.

The clinicians who treat these patients are not dedicated to eating disorders. While there has been an increased allocation of staffing to the community eating disorder team, none of the posts have yet been filled; something described by Councillor McMonagle as ‘concerning and disappointing’, given that funding was allocated.

Ms Cosgrove added that a part of the winter planning included looking at additional resources to support activities in the hospitals and they aim to have additional beds on stream in early 2023.

“There are other actions being taken and followed up on as regards the capacity of hospitals to deal with emergency activity,” Ms Cosgrove said.