Tallaght Hospital apologises as pressure mounts on Crumlin Children’s Hospital

By Mary Dennehy

THIS week the Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD, marked the start of the first phase of construction on the new children’s hospital at St James’s.

However, local health campaigners have claimed there is “very little” to celebrate – as 8,000 children in West Dublin lose a vital orthopaedic service.

As reported on Echo.ie earlier this week, up to 8,000 children in West Dublin who have their broken bones treated annually in Tallaght Hospital will not be able to have them reviewed – after a decision was made to close the outpatient trauma service at the local hospital.

From this week, any child that needs a follow-up review with a consultant or who needs specialised treatment for a break, will have to travel to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin – which already has an outpatient waiting list of 13,089 and an orthopaedic waiting list of 1,544.

In a statement to The Echo, Tallaght Hospital said: “The regrettable decision to suspend this outpatient service has been made in the best interest of patient safety.

“We wish to apologise to patients and their families for any inconvenience this causes to them.

“The outpatient trauma service at Tallaght was being delivered by a Locum Consultant.

“This contract has now ceased and despite the best efforts of hospital management, it has not proved possible to maintain this service in the short term due to recruitment challenges.”

The statement continued: “The Hospital is actively working with the Children’s Hospital Group and the other paediatric hospitals to provide a sustainable safe paediatric orthopaedic trauma service with two new orthopaedic consultants due to commence employment within the Group later this summer.”

However, Triona Murphy, Chair of the Tallaght Hospital Action Group (THAG), has expressed the action group’s concerns over the suspension of the review clinic – which she believes does not bode well for the future of the service in Tallaght, or the staffing of the new paediatric satellite clinic planned.

“This issue has been going on for years and it’s a case of history repeating itself,” Ms Murphy said.

“We have seen parts of services removed from Tallaght in the past, which never returned and resulted in the whole service eventually being removed.

“This development will have massive implications not just on Tallaght but on the other children’s hospitals – especially Crumlin which is out the door.

“And, most importantly, kids have been left completely in the lurch.”

She added: “It’s bizarre that one consultant couldn’t be employed to keep the service in Tallaght.”

On Wednesday, the Minister for Health Simon Harris marked the commencement of construction of the new children’s hospital with the contract for the first phase of construction being awarded to BAM contractors.

However, speaking to The Echo, Ms Murphy said: “There is very little to celebrate.

“This may be a victory for the Children’s Hospital Board and the government, but it’s not a victory for sick children – or the thousands of parents that aren’t happy with the St James’s site.”