Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 November 2012
617. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Health his policy for dealing with persons who require coronary care over the week ends in the mid west area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51450/12]
View answerThe funding pressures now being experienced in the health services mean that the acute sector must reduce its costs in order to deliver the agreed level of activity within the resources available to it. This means that we must concentrate on maximising efficiency and getting the best possible services for patients from the budgets available to us. However, this on its own is not sufficient. Activity levels in our acute hospitals have been running ahead of the levels set in the approved HSE Service Plan and therefore it is inevitable that activity levels must also be reduced. This will be a significant challenge, and in meeting it we must be flexible and responsive to service needs, in order to ensure that essential services are protected and that patient safety and quality remain paramount.
The Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) Programme is trying to improve and standardise the care of ACS patients by ensuring that ambulances are equipped and paramedics trained to recognise the most common type of major heart attack (STEMI) and transport these patients to a primary PCI centre hospital for appropriate care. Primary PCI centre hospitals are designated based on having available catheter laboratories plus a requisite number of cardiologists that are trained in PPCI.
The Mid-West Regional Hospital in Limerick were approved on 1st October as a PPCI centre operating Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. The service was reviewed on 23rd October and approved for operation on a 24/7 basis which began on 30th October. It is estimated that approximately 2 patients per week use the out of hours service.
