Plans outlined by the Health Service Executive for 2009 feature substantial cutbacks to the tune of €3 million at St Luke’s hospital for Carlow/Kilkenny and Kilcreen Orthopaedic hospital.
The HSE revealed details of these cutbacks as part of its National Service Plan for HSE south 2009 which was released last week.
In order to meet the planned reduction in costs the HSE plans to close 26 beds in St Luke’s on a rolling basis. According to the HSE this move will reduce costs by €1.5 million.
Further more the HSE estimates that by reducing two surgical wards, one at St Luke’s and the other at Kilcreene from seven days to five days, they will save €370k.
Reduction in on-call, absenteeism, overtime, locum and agency services are expected to save a further €330k while increasing income, including income derived from car parking fees which will increase from €3 to €4 will save €200k. The balance will be derived from other non pay savings and seasonal closures.
The HSE also revealed plans to discontinue to admit patients to Bethany House in Carlow and “to arrange for the current residents to be accommodated in more appropriate facilities and settings.”
Doubts over the future of Bethany House and its 28 elderly residents were raised before Christmas after it was claimed that a HSE representative had visited the home and told residents that the unit was to close. The HSE subsequently stated that this was not the case and that a “ review of welfare homes within Carlow/Kilkenny including Bethany House was under consideration by the HSE and no decision had yet been made.”
The HSE cited a number of reasons in the service plan for this decision. “The 30 bed Bethany House Welfare Home can no longer provide appropriate services due to the increasing levels of dependencies of its patients. The particular difficulty is the home’s inablility to support high dependency patients which increases demands in terms of maintenance of standards and health and safety issues including infection control.”
The HSE now plans to maintain Bethany House within the services for older people and discussions have commenced with the Alzheimer’s society to provide day care services from the facility.
The HSE’s National Service Plan for 2009 also outlined details of how the HSE will invest the €14.791bn allocation received for the coming year. “The plan has been framed within the context of health service reform, a rapidly changing economic environment and a climate of reducing resources,” according to details released last week.
“However, despite this the HSE is seeking to deliver the same quantity and quality of services as delivered in 2008. As part of a value for money programme the HSE is delivering savings of at least €520 million.”
The HSE also stated that the service plan was based upon maintaining and slightly increasing hospital and community services. “Key areas for investment will include disabilities, an additional 715 public nursing home beds and targeted investment in hospitals.
“Among our many targets outlined in the plan we are proposing to increase acute hospital activity nationally by three per cent overall, both inpatient and day case combined, see more new patients in outpatient clinics, develop 100 additional primary care teams across the country, open a significant number of additional public beds for older people and employ many new therapists to provide services for people with disability,” the HSE stated.
