Tag Archives: University Hospital Waterford

Scenes from an overcrowded psychiatric unit of University Hospital Waterford last week; outside the hospital this afternoon

This afternoon.

Outside University Hospital Waterford.

Psychiatric nurses and members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association protest over ongoing overcrowding at the hospital’s Acute Psychiatry Unit.

It follows The Irish Examiner publishing pictures of some patients sleeping on the floor of the unit last week.

The PNA has tweeted: “PNA is demanding that the HSE urgently address the deficit in mental health services in Waterford.

“The situation in UWH cannot be allowed to continue or repeated and the under resourcing and under staffing of the Waterford services must be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

Waterford’s psychiatric nurses to strike in overcrowding protest (The Irish Examiner)

Pics: Cllr John Hearne and Psychiatric Nurses Association

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaking at the launch of Fine Gael’s manifestos for the European and local elections in Moate, Co Westmeath

Sean Defoe tweetz:

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar twice refuses opportunity to apologise to pathologists at Waterford Hospital.

Varadkar says he does regret if his tone suggested he was discouraging whistleblowers in the health service & he wasn’t calling any staff member dishonest.

“The only thing I said in recent days is that there were different accounts. And I didn’t want to be calling any staff member dishonest.”

This won’t end well.

Earlier: ‘Obvious Health And Safety And Infection Issues’

Letter to the HSE last July; Taoisech Leo Varadkar earlier this week; tweets from former Senator Professor John Crown this morning

This morning, The Irish Times, reported that, last July, group chief operations officer in the South/South West Hospital Group Dr Gerard O’Callaghan sent a letter to the HSE saying he was  “appalled at the poor condition” of the University Hospital Waterford’s mortuary.

He also told the HSE there were “obvious health and safety and infection issues” at the mortuary. He sent the letter a day after visiting the mortuary.

This follows a press release from the SSWH group earlier this week stating there was “no evidence” to support claims made about the mortuary by four pathologists last October and that no staff member ever made any complaint about the mortuary’s conditions.

It also follows Taoiseach Leo Varadkar saying “no evidence has been brought forward to support” the claims – as reported by journalist Darren Skelton, of the Waterford News and Star.

The four pathologists claimed that the conditions at the mortuary are so bad “most bodies lie on trolleys in corridors, often leaking body fluids onto the floor”.

Senior hospital official ‘appalled’ at condition of Waterford mortuary (Eoghan Dalton, David Raleigh, The Irish Times)

Previously: Pathological Behaviour

Dying On Air

‘Ill-Judged And Inaccurate’

The Dead Can Wait

Top pic: Darren Skelton

 

Darren Skelton, of the Waterford News and Star with Taoisech Leo Varadkar; a letter sent by four consultant pathologists to the CEO of the South/South West Hospital Group  Gerry O’Dwyer last October (click to enlarge)

This morning.

Waterford News and Star journalist Darren Skelton published the letter sent by four pathologists to the CEO of the South/South West Hospital Group Gerry O’Dwyer last October – in which they raised serious concerns about the mortuary in University Hospital Waterford.

Mr Skelton was denied access to the letter when he sought under the Freedom of Information Act but sourced it by other means.

Since he reported on the letter last week, the hospital group has issued a statement to say, among other things, that there is “no evidence” to support the claims made by the pathologists and that no staff member ever made any complaint about the mortuary’s conditions.

Not long after this, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said “no evidence has been brought forward to support” the claims, before adding “certainly those who made them [the claims] haven’t put forward any evidence”.

Mr Skelton had the opportunity to question and challenge the Taoiseach directly about this assertion on Tuesday and Mr Varadkar told him “without me knowing all the facts, or you knowing all the facts, it would be incorrect to come to a judgement”.

Yesterday, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association released a statement saying it was “alarmed” by the Government’s response to the pathologists’ concerns.

They also said the response from the health service management was “disappointing”.

The pathologists “repeatedly” raised their concerns to management “over a lengthy period”, the group said.

Specifically, the IHCA said: “The response by Government to question the validity of these concerns rather than tackling the issue in a much more timely manner is disappointing.”

Mr Skelton explains his reasons for publishing the letters in full below…

Previously: Dying On Air

‘Ill-Judged And Inaccurate’

The Dead Can Wait

UPDATE: