Weekend cardiac care to start in UHW on March 18
24/7 cardiac care has yet to be rolled out in Waterford.
University Hospital Waterford (UHW) is set to roll out 7-day cardiac care from 8am to 8pm next month.
The service is due to start on March 18, according to Independent Councillor Declan Barry. Cllr Barry attended the Regional Health Forum meeting held in Cork on Thursday, February 27. At the meeting, he asked when will weekend (from 8am to 8pm Saturday and Sunday) cardiac care commence at UHW.
He was informed by Integrated (IHA) manager, Dr Sinead Reynolds of the provisional date. She stated: "UHW was recently funded and approved to increase the on-call STEMI service to seven days, 8am-8pm, after a successful recruitment campaign and discussions with the clinical teams the seven-day service provisionally is scheduled for March 18, 2025."
Cllr Barry noted with concern the use of the word 'provisionally' in Dr Reynold's comment about the start day. Dr Sinead Reynolds responded that with less than three weeks to go to the commencement date, she didn't envisage any alteration to this date.
Cllr Barry told the Waterford News and Star that while the news is greatly welcomed, it does not accomplish the main goal of securing 24/7 cardiac care for Waterford, stating: "While this was a step in the right direction, the people of Waterford and the Southeast, would continue their push for complete 24/7 cardiac care at UHW and would not rest until this is achieved."
The people of Waterford and the wider South East region have been campaigning for 24/7 cardiac care for years. While the services have been promised multiple times, announcements have been met by delays and various hurdles. Emergency cardiac care at University Hospital Waterford is currently limited in operation to weekdays, excluding bank holidays.
UHW has two catheterisation laboratories which operate from 8am to 8pm, and 8am to 6pm.
