Review of acute hospital services in the Mid - Health Service Executive

Review of acute hospital services in HSE Mid-West
An action plan for acute and community services
• General surgery (including upper gastrointestinal surgery, lower GI surgery, breast
surgery, vascular surgery, endocrine surgery), orthopaedics, maxillo-facial surgery,
urology, gynaecology, ENT, ophthalmology;
• Major A&E, with a helipad for emergency air ambulance transfer;
• Trauma;
• Obstetrics, with co-located midwifery service, and level 3 neonatal unit;
• Paediatrics, with high dependency unit;
• Cancer services, in line with national cancer control strategy;
• Anaesthesia and pain management service; and
• Level 3 adult critical care.
Cancer services are already provided on the Dooradoyle site in a joint public-private venture.
The unit was built by the hospital’s Trust and is operated by the Mater Private Hospital. The
centre is privately operated in co-operation with the National Plan for Radiation Oncology 38 .
The level of tertiary activity undertaken in the acute regional ‘centre of excellence’ will be
dictated by national strategies. For example, for paediatrics, we understand that all specialist
tertiary work will be undertaken by the new national paediatric hospital in Dublin.
We have forecast the number of patients to be treated in the acute regional ‘centre of
excellence’ in 2010. This assumes that all residents are treated at the regional centre with
recognition that some tertiary services may be provided outside of the Mid-West. This
analysis also excludes any additional activity that the regional centre may attract from
outside the counties of Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary.
The methodology for modelling the anticipated volume of patients in 2010 includes the
following assumptions:
• 2005 resident-based data has been used as the baseline for modelling the impact
analysis 39 ;
• Population growth is based on Central Statistical Office forecasts which has been
included for 2010;
• All planned day cases will be treated at local ‘centres of excellence’ ; and
• Bed capacity modelling assumes occupancy levels of 85% and takes account of trends in
hospital design for best practice in the management of infection control.
38 Annual Report and Financial Statements 2006, Health Service Executive, 2007.
39
The hospital data came from the Hospital Inpatient Enquiry (HIPE) system collected by the HIPE and National Perinatal
Reporting System (NPRS) Unit of the Economic and Social Research Institute.
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