Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has said yesterdays announcement by the HSE that the A&E unit at Our Lady’s hospital in Navan will close and be replaced by a Medical Assessment unit is not a done deal.
In a statement Donnelly declared, ‘ No decision regarding the HSE’s proposal for the transition of the Emergency Department at Our Lady’s Hospital Navan (OLHN) has been agreed by this government.
“The HSE has clinical concerns about the safety of the Emergency Department at Navan.
“I asked the HSE to outline those concerns and consult with elected representatives on behalf of the local community. That meeting took place yesterday (Monday, June 13).
“I have heard clearly the concerns of clinicians in Navan as to the ongoing safety concerns of operating a small Emergency Department. I have also heard the concerns of clinicians at other hospitals that would be impacted at a time when all health services are under such pressure.
“Several important issues, including additional capacity in other hospitals impacted, as well as the continued ability of people in the Navan area to access emergency and urgent care, would need to be fully addressed before any proposed transition by the HSE takes place.”
