Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
LAST UPDATE | 30 Aug 2024
DOCTORS HAVE SAID that people’s health is being put at risk because patients can no longer be referred to the cardiology department at Cavan and Monaghan Hospital.
GPs in both counties have been asked to stop referring cardiology patients to the hospital, but say they have not been given an alternative option.
In an email sent to GPs yesterday afternoon, the HSE stated: “This is to inform you that, effective immediately, Cavan and Monaghan Hospital will no longer accept new cardiology referrals.
“We understand the importance of continuity in patient care and we are committed to minimising any disruptions during this transition. Please rest assured that we are actively working to appoint a replacement consultant as soon as possible.”
The email, seen by The Journal, states that doctors will be notified “promptly” once a new cardiology consultant has been appointed, at which time the hospital will resume accepting referrals.
“In the meantime, we encourage you to consider alternative arrangements for your patients’ cardiology needs. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this period and are grateful for your continued support,” the email adds.
Dr Illona Duffy, a GP based in Monaghan, said doctors’ main concern is that patients could deteoritate and, in some cases, die.
Speaking to The Journal today, she said: “Obviously if patients aren’t being seen within an appropriate timeframe, [their] problem is going to deteriorate, and ultimately they’re going to end up in hospital.
“So, what are we doing? We’re trying to have them seen [by a specialist] so we can see, can we stop a heart attack happening?
Can we stop you dying? Can we stop you ending up in heart failure?
“We know that early intervention for all of these things is vital. Absolutely we can [stop someone dying], but we need to have specialist input.”
Duffy said patients who need to be referred to a cardiologist include people who’ve had heart attacks in the past, or who have conditions like angina or an irregular heart rhythm.
They need specialist monitoring, meaning they need to be under the care of the cardiologist.
Duffy said it is normal for doctors to move on to another job but that a plan should be in place so, when this happens, vital services can continue instead of stopping abruptly.
Duffy said it will likely take months to fill the consultant vacancy. She said she and other GPs in the area have not been told where to refer patients to in the meantime.
“We don’t know where we’re meant to refer to because, again, we already know that most services tend to be quite territorial about accepting referrals outside what they see as their catchment areas. Are we to refer to Dublin? Are we to refer to Drogheda? We don’t know.”
When asked for comment by The Journal, the HSE said it was a matter for the RCSI Hospital Group.
A spokesperson for the RCSI group said that Cavan and Monaghan Hospital has “issued correspondence to the local GPs regarding the pathways for cardiology patients”.
The spokesperson said that emergency cardiology patients will continue to be managed within the Emergency Department or the Medical Assessment Unit “with referrals to tertiary sites as required”.
They added that patients can be referred to the General Medicine Outpatient Department “where general cardiology will be triaged and reviewed as appropriate”.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Hasn’t this been kept alive all these years through a certain culture.
no they use slash hooks
Where’s Jon Snow when we need an expert opinion from someone who knows nothing?
Amusingly its less barbaric than mma as well
kinda nerdy don’t you think?
True it’s hard enough to pull off a rear naked choke when you can’t get your hands around the armour let alone squeeze it.
Rear naked? you can try grab the base of the torso armour and shove it up so the collar bites into the neck I guess
tbh this looks like nonsense, its like two panzer tanks armed with pea shooters firing at each other
You are welcome to try it out, trust me it’s a lot harder than it looks! The hits in the 1v1 fights aren’t as hard as in the groups, you want to hit hard enough to score a point but not so hard that you wear yourself out early. Even with that I was hit hard enough in a 1v1 to have my helmet broken with me inside it.
This might impress you a bit more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKKSI1OPGa4
But to experience it at it’s best come see us in action and then decide what you make of us.
Thanks matey but I’ll stick to doing weapons sparring with minimal armour, I kind of like footwork, combinations, defense and all that skill based stuff instead of standing toe to toe and just swinging like lumberjacks.
have your say