*Ennis Hospital.
ACTIVIST group, Friends of Ennis Hospital have said the newly appointed HSE Regional Executive Officer has acknowledged the ‘compelling case’ for the restoration of services in Co Clare.
In December, Sandra Broderick was appointed as the HSE’s first Regional Executive Officer to head the new health authority in the Mid-West.
On Friday, she held an online meeting with Friends of Ennis Hospital. The meeting was arranged by Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) with Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) among those attending online.
Topics discussed included Shannondoc, the shortage of GP’s, the National Ambulance Service, the planned increase in hours for the MAU in Ennis and the current situation in UHL.
Friends of Ennis Hospital detailed that the closure of three emergency departments in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s in 2009 and the planned reconfiguration of services “has failed and we think that has been accepted by all concerned”.
A spokesperson for Friends of Ennis Hospital told The Clare Echo, “It was acknowledged at the meeting that the provision of an Emergency Department cannot be safely provided in a Model 2 hospital and there is neither the political will nor the finances available to upgrade all three hospitals to model 3 status. It has been our feeling for some time that there exists a very real possibility that the HSE will have to provide a second emergency department in the Midwest region and we feel it is our duty and responsibility to the people of Clare to press for that facility in Ennis”.
During the meeting, Broderick acknowledged that the briefing document provided by the group makes a compelling case for the restoration of services in Co Clare.
She confirmed that the HSE have committed to review data available to see if there is a case for extending the opening hours of the local injury unit at Ennis hospital.
