Following a meeting on the future services at Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise yesterday a statement has been released by the hospital management group.
The statement confirmed that management and staff of the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise (MRHP) and the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group (DMHG) met to discuss investment and development at the hospital.
It outlined the matters considered at the meeting included ongoing operational advancements and longer-term developments, including:
– The hospital’s 2017 service plan, to include funding this year to expand day ward capacity, a new medical assessment facility, and additional consultant staff;
– Challenges in attracting and retaining medical staff;
– The recent report of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), which highlighted both improvements and the requirement for a clear long-term plan at the hospital;
– Status of a plan for the safe and sustainable provision of services at the hospital.
At the invitation of Dr Susan O’Reilly, Chief Executive of the DMHG, HSE National Clinical Programme leaders – Dr Colm Henry and Dr Michael Power – also joined the meeting to offer their perspective on the challenges currently faced by the hospital.
“The DMHG recently extended a meeting invitation to the local GP community to continue discussions on how best to deliver safe and sustainable provision of services at the hospital. This invitation remains open,” the statement read.
Action plan
“In compliance with HIQA’s May 2015 report, the DMHG, in collaboration with the Acute Hospitals Division of the Health Services Executive (HSE), National Clinical Programme leaders and the National Ambulance Service, has developed an Action Plan for hospital services in the midlands. This plan has been submitted to the Department of Health for its review,” the statement added.
Commenting after the meeting, Dr O’Reilly said: “All of us – management, healthcare professionals and the community as a whole – share a commitment to ensuring that the patients of Portlaoise Hospital receive the highest possible standard of care. The progress of the past 18 months pointed to by HIQA is due in no small part to the commitment of everyone at the hospital.
“HIQA continues to underline outstanding challenges, including the disproportionality high dependency on agency staff at the hospital. We will continue to work on meeting these challenges collectively as we await overall direction from the Department of Health,” she said.
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