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Midoc Birr Hugely Reduced And Midoc Banagher Closed For Good

Thursday, 8 December 2011

The HSE announced this week that it is drastically reducing the opening hours of MIDOC in Birr and is closing down the MIDOC service in Banagher.
This news, which was expected for several months, has been greeted with widespread dismay and disappointment in the region.
In a short statement the HSE described the changes as things which were positive but the reality is that these are backward steps for the region.
The HSE have stated that, 'in partnership with General Practitioners will shortly be expanding the Midoc GP Out of Hours service to cover the entire population of County Offaly. This includes coverage of an additional population of approximately 48,000.'
It added that the expansion must be undertaken on what it called 'a cost neutral basis' and therefore 'the reconfiguration of existing services will be required.'
This 'reconfiguration' means that from Tuesday the 6th of December MIDOC (which the HSE calls the West Offaly Treatment Centre) will be opening during the following hours:
Mondays to Fridays, 8p.m. to 10p.m.. Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays, 10a.m. to 7p.m.
The HSE concluded by saying that 'The HSE is committed to and will continue to provide the MIDOC GP Out of Hours service in the West Offaly region.'
Midoc in Banagher was based in the Health Centre, which is on Cuba Avenue beside the Community Centre. A nurse was present there from 9a.m. to 5.30p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and a doctor was there from 11a..m. to 1p.m. on Saturdays.
In a statement issued to the media the Chairman and members of Birr Town Council said they are very disappointed 'with the decision taken by the HSE to drastically reduce the opening hours of the MIDOC service in Birr.'
They pointed out that during recent weeks the Councillors had engaged in meetings with the HSE and the local GPs' representative because they wanted to maintain 'what each member believes is a very important service for the people of Birr and the surrounding region.'
The Councillors commented that MIDOC has provided an excellent service for the last seven or eight years 'and we also understand that the high cost structure made it difficult to sustain MIDOC in its current form during the present recessionary climate.
'However, we do believe that the people of South Offaly should have a local out of hours service at least until midnight each day and a realistic service at weekends.'
They said that it is also of major concern that the HSE intends to revisit the operation of this service in six weeks time.
'As councillors we feel it's our duty to inform the public of the severe impact the reduction of MIDOC's hours will have going forward.'
In a statement issued on Tuesday morning Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy slammed the decision to downgrade the MIDOC service in Birr.
The Deputy said that following constant contact with the HSE over the last few weeks, she arranged a meeting with the HSE management in Tullamore on Monday, the 5th of December in order to establish what exactly the HSE had planned for the Birr Midoc service. She pointed out that many concerned residents and Councillors had been highlighting their worries to her in recent weeks.
Attending together with Cllr Michael Campbell and Cllr Percy Clendennen, she said it was established that the reduced hours in Birr were to enable the service to expand into Tullamore and Edenderry which do not have a service at present.
'I am disappointed that the HSE have taken this decision,' commented the Deputy, 'despite our constant contact with them in recent weeks. I welcome the extension to other areas in need but it is a shame that it has to be at the expense of Birr Midoc'.
She called on the HSE to let the public know what the position would be in the future and was advised that there would be a public information statement advertising the changes in coming days. 'I welcome this news in order that the general public will have the facts of the situation.'
She said that outside of the reduced hours queries will go directly to the Tullamore Service.
Cllr Sinead Moylan Ryan said she is very disappointed the service has been cut and it will have severe consequences for the people in the Banagher area. 'It has been a terrific out of hours service in this area. It does not make any sense to take away this service from south Offaly.' She pointed out that the Midoc service in Birr facilitates people from Banagher, Lusmagh, Kilcormac, Coolderry, Clareen and Kinnitty.
Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen also slammed what he called 'the Government's / Health Service Executive's decision to drastically cut the Midoc Service in the Birr area'.
Deputy Cowen pointed out that this vital local service was set up by the previous Fianna Fáil led Government and its aim was to free up A & E wards. He said the Midoc service has proven very successful over the past number of years.
He commented that the cessation of the overnight service will lead to a massive strain on the already stretched Midland Ambulance Service, and will also increase the workload and waiting times at the A & E Department in the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore.
'Since my election to Dáil Eireann,' remarked Deputy Cowen, 'I have been monitoring this situation closely and have been in regular contact with the Health Service Executive on an on-going basis in the hope that this Service would continue to provide emergency out of hours GP care to patients in Birr and the surrounding region.
'The current decision taken by the Health Service Executive will result in patients having to wait for upwards of 30 minutes for an out of hours GP to travel from their base in Tullamore to the Birr area which may have serious consequences for some patients.
'It has been decided by the Health Service Executive to reduce the Service to one mobile GP and one stationed at the Midoc base in Tullamore. This will have a major, negative effect on people who avail of the Service and I am calling on the Health Service Executive to re-instate this Service with immediate effect'.
Cllr John Leahy said South Offaly is now badly neglected by the HSE and it didn't make sense to be relocating Midoc to Tullamore Hospital, which is a state of the art facility and doesn't need Midoc.
He said Midoc also did a lot of work in nursing homes and now the elderly, the vulnerable, would be neglected.
He commented that he believes people will call the ambulance more often rather than the mobile GP and this will put a big strain on the ambulance service. 'Part of the reason for creating Midoc in the first place was to cut down the strain on the ambulance service.
'This is yet another example of an urban policy in the government and, as a result, rural Offaly is suffering.' He commented that this change to Midoc 'just doesn't make sense. The government, the HSE, is crossing a dangerous line, I think, and they are cutting too much.' He said it wasn't right that ordinary people are paying for the sins of corrupt financiers. He felt that ordinary people are not being treated fairly by the political system.
He felt the review by the HSE in six weeks time won't lead to a restitution of the previous Midoc hours 'because it usually doesn't work like that. Usually people don't want to admit their mistakes.'
Cllr Michael Campbell remarked that he hugely regretted what he called the 'downgrading' of Midoc in Birr. He said the staff in Birr Midoc were 'devastated' by the news. 'The doctors, the drivers, the nurses in Midoc are all really upset by this bad news. Many of them live in the Birr area and now they will have to travel to Tullamore'. He pointed out that the new Midoc will be set beside Accident & Emergency in Tullamore Hospital.
Cllr Campbell commented that no matter how the HSE dresses up this bad news for Birr, it is still a downgrading. He said he is also very worried that the area may lose its ambulance service. 'I believe this is the most serious issue to affect Birr and the surrounding region for many years. Who is going to be responsible if someone dies because they didn't receive treatment in time? Are budgets more important than lives?
'The whole thing doesn't make sense. A huge amount of money was spent on doing up the old hospital premises in order to house Midoc and now we are cutting back the service, and there's a possibility it may be done away with completely.'
Prior to Midoc the local GPs in the Birr area arranged an after-hours service between them so that a Doctor was always on call. This was not a popular job amongst the GPs because of the bad hours and they didn't regret the advent of Midoc. It seems unlikely that the local doctors will now revert back to the way things were and reinstate their round the clock doctor on call service.

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