Kilcreene Orthopaedic Hospital has confirmed that it is to close a number of beds at the hospital for the remainder of the year . One theatre will also close for the months of July and August.
It is expected that 20 beds out of the 51 currently available will be closed until next January rather than just for the summer months.
The measure is being introduced to “enable efficiencies to be put in place that will facilitate hospital staff to avail of leave during the peak summer period. It is also a time of year when people prefer not to be in hospital for planned procedures,’ according to a statement from the HSE.
It is understood that although more than a third of the beds will close, there will not be job losses associated with the closures although a small number of nursing and support staff will be redeployed to the HSE’s community services in the Carlow/Kilkenny area.
“This will result in additional resources for elderly care and the tending to people who can remain at home and receive treatment without requiring admission to hospital or a residential nursing facility,” according to the HSE statement.
St Luke’s General Hospital for Carlow Kilkenny will also see bed closures this summer although it is not yet decided how many are to close for the months of July and August. Already 35 beds have closed at the hospital this year including 26 pre-discharge beds and nine in-patient beds.
In a statement the HSE said,”a number of bed and theatre closures will take place at St. Luke’s General Hospital for Carlow/Kilkenny during July and August. Patient care, including emergency services, will not be affected and there will be no changes to employment levels at the hospital.”
The HSE stated that while a reduction of 20 beds from the current complement of 51 at Kilcreene is necessary, the overall throughput of patients will be maintained by the substantial increase in day case activity.
“The HSE’s target of doubling the amount of day case procedures at Kilcreene Hospital during 2010 will be achieved, in addition to over 5,000 outpatient appointments processed. Up to 750 other treatments of inpatients will be carried out in the hospital during the year.
The HSE re-iterates that Kilcreene remains the regional elective orthopaedic centre in the south-east and is delivering excellent levels of care, including extensive after care although there will now only be 31 beds available until the end of the year.
“As set out in the HSE’s 2010 Service Plan, the South East Hospital Group across a network of five hospitals in five counties, are on target as regards its priority to deliver 60,000 inpatient discharges, over 40,000 day cases, up to 170,000 emergency presentations (and over 44,000 emergency admissions ), 284,000 outpatient attendances and 8,300 births in 2010. I’d like to thank our dedicated acute hospitals staff for their efforts in ensuring that the highest level of care, delivered within our allocated resources, is available to the communities we serve in counties Carlow, Kilkenny, South Tipperary, Waterford and Wexford.”
The HSE has confirmed that compared to 2009, its 2010 Service Plan target of a doubling of day case procedures at Kilcreene Orthopaedic Hospital in Kilkenny will be achieved.
