Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am glad to have an opportunity to raise this issue because it is very important to the people of Carlow and Kilkenny. The management of St Luke's General Hospital Kilkenny, which services counties Carlow and Kilkenny, has proposed to cut the number of maternity and gynaecology beds by up to 15%, which is the equivalent of four beds. I ask the Minister of State for clarification on the issue. I am sure he can understand it is causing a lot of distress and concern for patients, staff and anyone who expects to use the maternity unit in the near future. I have made several attempts to get clarification from management at St Luke's General Hospital but unfortunately to date I have not been able to receive a response.

I wrote to them about the issue and asked for a meeting with me and my Oireachtas colleagues but I have had no response and this is a concern.

There is a proposal to use beds from both maternity and gynaecology wards to facilitate the overflow from the current overcrowding situation. The two wards are on the one corridor and run into each other and such a move would see beds taken from this unit. It is unbelievable that anyone could think this was a possible solution to overcrowding because it would put patients, including newborn babies, at risk of infection. There would also be safety and privacy concerns for both women and their babies if an overflow was going to be allowed on these wards. I feel, and more importantly the staff, doctors and specialists at St. Luke’s believe that if this is to implemented it would be a reckless move and would show no regard for the health and well-being of female patients and newborn babies in the gynaecology and maternity wards.

The recent national maternity strategy and the recently published HIQA national standards for safer better maternity services set out clearly what needs to happen to deal with deficiencies in our services and how to improve maternity and neonatal care overall nationally. We need care that is safe, standardised, of high quality and offers a better experience and more choice to women and their families. Having general patients with varying conditions and illnesses located on the same corridor, sharing the same facilities as pregnant women, newborn babies and women who could be in a vulnerable condition, completely contravenes the standards which the national maternity strategy and national standards document set out.

The staff at St. Luke's have stated that if a 15% reduction in current bed capacity goes ahead, the quality and safety of care provided will be greatly compromised with women allocated to beds on corridors. This is ludicrous and I hope the Minister can intervene in this matter. There is an increased risk of cross-contamination from general patients, especially with higher-risk clientele such as premature or newborn babies and woman who are readmitted for various conditions. It will cause mayhem for them. If we are serious about protecting our women and their health we cannot allow a move like this to go ahead in our constituency. The hospital serves both counties of Carlow and Kilkenny so a huge amount of people use the wards

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