Mattie McGrath warns on Tipperary hospital reconfiguration
Mattie McGrath spoke about the proposed reconfiguration of Tipperary University Hospital, opposing its removal from the South-Shout-West Hospital Group and its alignment with larger Dublin and regional hospitals. He warned the change risks leaving the hospital a "poor relation" and said consultants, management, staff and service users are deeply worried.
Proposed reconfiguration
The proposal would remove Tipperary University Hospital from the South-Shout-West Hospital Group and align it with St Vincent's University Hospital Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, University Hospital Wakeford Waterford and other larger hospitals.
Local concerns
McGrath said people in Tipperary and the medical fraternity fear the hospital will become the poor relation in a larger grouping. He noted an existing successful alignment with Cork University and Kerry and argued some regional numbers do not stack up because some regions are much smaller.
Impact on services and staff
There is, he said, huge angst among consultants, management, staff and service users about the proposed change. He highlighted the valuable, dedicated services provided by the hospital in Carmel to patients from South Tip, North Tip and West Waterford.
Regional health areas
Regional health areas have not yet been finalised and are intended to be established next year, McGrath noted. He acknowledged there will be differing opinions on boundaries and stressed the intention should be to build functioning networks rather than to concentrate resources in the biggest hospital.
Acknowledgements
McGrath complimented and thanked staff at St Vincent's University Hospital Dublin for their care, while also raising concerns about distance, industry and budget impacts on Tipperary. He concluded by thanking the hospital and mentioning Dr. Mamala Perala as part of his remarks.
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The people of Tipperary and the medical fraternity are very concerned about the reconfiguration that is proposed. It is proposed that Tipperary University Hospital will be removed from the South-Shout-West Hospital Group, which has been a very successful partnership, and will be aligned with a much larger hospital such as St Vincent's University Hospital Dublin, National Maternity Hospital, University Hospital Wakeford Waterford and all the others. They are very worried that we will be the poor relation in this. There is a very successful alignment with Cork University and Kerry, and the numbers do not stack up either, because some regions are way smaller. So we have been aligned with St Vincent's, and I have been there recently a number of times, an excellent hospital in Dublin, and I want to compliment everybody there and thank them for looking after everybody. But it is so far, and geographically, and all the industry will be soaked today, and the finances and budgets, and we will be left with a poor relation for Tipperary University Hospital, and there is huge angst amongst consultants, the management and staff, everybody, and the service users of the hospital in Carmel, which is giving valuable service, dedicated service to patients, not only from South Tip, but North Tip and West Waterford. We still haven't finalised the regional health areas, it is intended that they will be established next year, and there will always be different opinions as to where you draw the boundaries. We had that with the hospital groups, we will certainly have that with regional health areas, but the intention is never to suck resources into the biggest hospital in the area, it is to make sure that happens the other way and that we build functioning networks. It is a great place, just to say, if you could also become one of the medical services. Thank you so much for watching. We will see you in the future. We have a good place in the future, and we will be doing things before we find the assistance to the hospital. So I want to thank you to the hospital, the hospital. Dr. Mamala Perala Perala or to the hospital. Dr. Mamala Perala.
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