Hundreds of operations cancelled in Tullamore in first half of 2009

Almost 280 operations due to take place on patients in Tullamore Midland Regional Hospital in the first six months of this year have been cancelled, figures obtained by Fine Gael reveal. A total of 153 planned day case admissions and 125 planned inpatients admissions were cancelled between January and June of this year - a total of 278. The number of cancelled operations in Tullamore hospital are among the highest in the country, outside of Dublin and Cork. In comparison, only 61 operations were cancelled in Mullingar and 70 in Portlaoise hospitals during that same time. Chairman of Tullamore Town Council and a member of the HSE Forum for the area, Cllr Tommy McKeigue, was outraged at the figures. "The health care system is slowly disintegrating," he said yesterday. "It's totally unacceptable, to go for an operation, no matter how small, people need to prepare themselves for it. It's not fair on the patient and it's not fair on the doctors and consultants who have to tell them it's cancelled. We're still at a loss as to what's going on." However, the HSE has disputed the figures and said they are not an accurate reflection of the total experience of all patients. "While the figures document the numbers of operations cancelled, the figures do not reflect the associated reasons. The figures do not account for the number of DNA's (Do not Attend) or the number of people who are not deemed clinically suitable for a procedure on the day by the relevant clinician," said a spokesperson for HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster to the Offaly Independent yesterday (Thursday). "Operations are rescheduled as a priority - on the first available date." According to the HSE Dublin Mid-Leinster spokesperson, the reason why there were a higher amount of cancellations in Tullamore hospital compared to Mullingar and Portlaoise, is because Tullamore is the Regional Centre for ENT and Orthopaedics. Cllr McKeigue pointed out that 15 beds, one theatre and the othropaedic ward that were closed as part of summer cutbacks, have not yet been reopened even though the hospital is bound to get busy again with the winter months bringing flu bugs and other infections, making it traditionally the busiest time for hospital admissions. He added that there are 20 beds in Riada House unable to be used as there is no funding to staff them or the care needed for the potential patients. "I'd be hoping myself, Deputy Olwyn Enright and James Reilly will try to get a meeting with hospital management about this," he added. "It's a shining light but it's not much use if there's no activity there. There's all kinds of excuses being peddled out, but it's not good enough." The HSE spokesperson also confirmed that there are "no current plans" to reopen the 15 bed, however the matter is being kept under "constant review". In a general statement regarding the nationwide figures, the HSE added that the cancellations needed to be seen in the context of overall activity. It said that in 2007, there were only 1.5% cancellations out of over one million admissions, while in 2008, there were 1.3% cancellations out of close to the same number of admissions. "The actual number of cancellations may also be lower than the number quoted as various scheduling systems account for duplication of certain figures. In some hospitals, for example, when a booking is cancelled, the patient will automatically be scheduled for the next available appointment. If this is not suitable for the patient, this appointment will then be cancelled. As a direct result of this system, there can be multiple cancellations for the same patient, because of the booking methodology employed." Fine Gael's spokesperson on health Deputy James Reilly obtained the figures in response to a parliamentary question. "This broken system is vastly inefficient and costly to the taxpayer and it is a vicious circle for the patients who are left to wait on all sides - on trolleys in A&E; in acute beds after their acute phase of care has ended; and, worst of all, in pain as their operations are cancelled," said Deputy Reilly.