FRONTLINE services in Waterford Regional Hospital are to be slashed to save money and parking charges are to sky-rocket to raise revenue.
The drastic measures to address 14m in budgetary cuts were contained in a draft document, a copy of which was made available to the Waterford News & Star, and which was presented to a meeting of the Executive Management Board of the hospital in recent weeks.
In an effort to address the first 7m the Waterford News & Star has been informed that savage restraints have been signed off including the closure of three theatres, reductions of 5% in inpatients and 10% of day cases admissions and a 20% reduction in all new outpatients to be seen in all sub specialties.
Visitors to the hospital are not immune from the drastic measures either. It is proposed to increase the current flat 4 parking charge to 4 for the first three hours and 2 per hour for each subsequent hour. It is estimated that these increased charges would raise an additional 95,000 annually.
As we went to press last night (Monday) the HSE declined to comment on the cuts and revenue raising plans stating that, Cost containment measures for the regional plan will not be published until February 9.
Nonetheless, the big issues in the context of cost reduction are the reduction of 5% for in-patients, which translates to 200 patients being seen at WRH annually. The proposed 10% reduction in day cases would translate to 2,000 patients less to be treated annually. One theatre already closed last year and it is proposed to close another two in 2012.
Twenty-five inpatient beds would be lost with the closure of Surgical 5 and there would also be the loss of a further eight beds with the closure of one each in the Coronary care and Intensive Care units, four in paediatrics and two regional NICU beds.
Other measures include efficiencies in the medical pay budget, in the lab and community services and agency expenditure. It is also expected that WRH will lose 60 nurses by the end of February.
Radiology services for patients attending cancer services are to be cut by a quarter on last years figures, which will save the hospital 180,000.
From June of this year, there will also be restricted access to treatment for patients with debilitating arthritis conditions, which will save 250,000.
The number of in-patients admitted to the hospital will also be cut by 5%, meaning that 200 less patients will be taking to the hospital beds in 2012.
The harsh budget will also see the closure of 33 beds in different areas of the hospital.
25 of these will stem from the closure of one surgical ward, four paediatric beds will be lost and there will also be the loss of one intensive care bed, one critical care bed, and two regional neo-natal intensive care beds.
As well as this, the filling of three consultant jobs will be delayed and this will save 487,085. They will be in the areas of Ophthalmology, Gastroenterology and Urology.
There is, however, some good news with the filling of consultant posts, and others for the care of stroke, heart failure, diabetes, rheumatology, dermatology and neurology patients.
A spokesperson for the HSE said that despite the budget cuts, their plans for the emergency department extension are still going ahead.
The extension will incorporate 14 emergency department beds and five neo natal beds for the intensive care unit.
The project will cost 13 million altogether and it is expected to be completed by March 2013.
Speaking in the Seanad last week, Sinn Féin Senator David Cullinane said, In Waterford Regional Hospital, vital services such as cancer care and types of complex surgery are under real threat.
