‘In The Interest Of Patient Safety’

at

Screen Shot 2016-04-25 at 12.30.05image

From top: Editorial in yesterday’s Sunday Times, and Professor Chris Fitzpatrick, former master of the Coombe hospital

You may recall the plans to move the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street to a site next to St Vincent’s University Hospital so that they can share a campus in Elm Park, Dublin.

Well.

Yesterday the Sunday Times reported that the Religious Sisters of Charity-owned St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVHG) is demanding that the National Maternity Hospital agrees to “become a branch of its corporate structure” before allowing the planned co-location to go ahead.

Further to this, Professor and consultant obstetrician/gynaecologist at the Coombe Hospital in Dublin Chris Fitzpatrick, spoke to Keelin Shanley on Today with Seán O’Rourke.

During their discussion, Professor Fitzpatrick said:

“I think that in terms of St Vincent’s Hospital, in the interests of patient safety that, in the context of co-location that the National Maternity Hospital should remain a clinical and corporate entity. Now there are huge advantages in relation to St Vincent’s Hospital taking on board the National Maternity Hospital, in terms of providing the full range of comprehensive care, from birth right through to old age. I think they are huge advantages in terms of the research, education and training synergies. But in the interest of patient safety, and with the greatest respect St Vincent’s Hospital do not have a track record in providing maternity and neonatal services, I think in the interest of patient safety that the National Maternity Hospital should be in a position to retain its corporate and clinical governance structures. In the interest of patient safety and I think that is the, that is to the forefront of all of these considerations.”

“…There’s been a long track record of underinvestment and de-prioritisation of services for mothers and babies. Moving into a big adult complex, healthcare complex, where there are competitive demands, I think it is really important that decisions made in relation to care being provided for mothers and babies are made by those who are best equipped to make those decisions…and these cases have been highlighted in the media recently.”

There are also increasing ethical considerations that need to be taken into account in relation to complex issues in pregnancy. And I think, in the interest of mothers, that those decisions at a clinical and corporate level are best taken by those who have a long experience in making those decisions and providing those services… and that experience does not exist in general hospitals.”

“In relation to gynaecology services, where women are accessing gynaecology services in general hospitals, in Vincent’s, in James’s, in the Mater, because of competitive demands,  many women are now actually moving from those hospitals into the maternity hospitals simply because of the fact that these services have been de-prioritised on the adult services.”

“…This project is ready to go to planning. I think the taxpayer and also mothers and women will not tolerate business issues bogging down a process that should be accelerated.”

Listen back in full here

Sponsored Link

25 thoughts on “‘In The Interest Of Patient Safety’

    1. Sheik Yahbouti

      Will the church’s twin urges – to accumulate money and to exercise total control over women, ever end? I doubt it.

      1. Otis

        Nope. And when this year’s census results on religion are published, revealing the church’s waning influence and control, we’ll see it respond with ever-more devious, malicious, insidious and cruel acts and strategies to hold onto the last vestiges of its cash-making power.

  1. Jake38

    The only thing that matters on the St Vincents “campus” is St VIncents Private Hospital. Everything else is secondary.

  2. Clampers Outside!

    Virginal women who go against the natural order of reproduction, desire to control women who do go with the natural order and procreate and have fun doing it.

    Sad.

    Fupp ’em !

  3. Dόn 'The Unstoppable Force' Pídgéόní

    “Religious Sisters of Charity-owned St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVHG)”

    I do not get how this is a thing

  4. A Taxpayer

    The fact that the National Maternity Hospital is itself a catholic organisation governed by a board headed by the archbishop seems to have escaped people.

    1. Cian

      Notably, the Archbishop has asked to be removed from the board. This would however require an act of the Oireacthas, and the Dáil didn’t consider it a priority.

      Given that request, I presume Archbishop Martin isn’t exactly taking much of an interest in the day to day running of the NMH.

      1. classter

        I don’t really get that.

        How long would it take to draft the bill?

        How long to get it passed?

    2. Nigel

      The fact that this is being nonetheless viewed as a step backwards in that regard is probably the point to pay attention to here.

  5. DubLoony

    As a tax payer, I deeply resent a church, that has singularly failed women over decades in this country, having any say over medical treatment.

    A church that demands celibacy on behalf of its own members trying to control reproduction of obvious non-celibate people is ….creepy.

    1. Otis

      and we might just add at this point the scary lunacy of the greatest paedophile ring in the history of humanity being handed full control over the education of our children

  6. well

    Can expect the usual crowd soon telling us all the church has done for us the past.. of course how could they not when they monopolized education and hospital care

  7. Truth in the News

    What exactly are bunch of self proclaimed virgins doing running a maternity
    hospital, with a bishop who awows celibacy on the board…… since they neither
    partake in procreation or reproduction why the hell are they allowed to be in
    control at all.

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie