Scans at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital to be reviewed after errors found in locum’s work

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda is one of seven around the country where X-rays may have been misread.

The Irish Times reports today that thousands of X-rays and other scans have been reviewed and hundreds of patients recalled after errors were discovered in the work of three locum radiologists employed by the Health Service Executive.

The worst affected hospital was Bantry in Cork, where 4,388 scans and X-rays taken between May and September 2013 were reviewed and 50 patients recalled, with one of them given a late cancer diagnosis as a result of the mistakes made.

The locum who worked in Bantry went on to work in a number of other hospitals, including the Lourdes. As a result, the Drogheda hospital is carrying out preliminary audits of his work to see if X-rays were correctly assessed.

In 2008, the HSE reviewed more than 6,000 X-rays and scans of a radiologist in the Lourdes Hospital.

21 cases of breech babies missed at Lourdes Hospital

Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda

A review of births, which took place over a 26 month period, at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, discovered 21 cases where babies in the breech position went undetected until after the onset of labour, according to the RTÉ Investigations Unit.

The review was ordered following the death of a baby in 2013 and two other serious incidents involving undetected breaches in 2014.

The death of the baby in 2013 is currently being examined by the coroner.

Another baby died in similar circumstances in 2004.

A breech occurs when a baby exits the pelvis with the buttocks or feet first as opposed to the normal head-first presentation.

Following the 2013 and 2014 events, the hospital undertook a retrospective review of all births during the period 1 May 2012 to 30 June 2014.

The total number of babies delivered during that period was 7,667.

The total number of babies born in the breech position was 221.

The total number of cases where breech was not diagnosed until after the onset of labour was 21, or almost 10% of the breech births.

The review found that 13 of the undetected breeches occurred in the Clinical Led Unit, while eight were undetected in the Midwifery Led Unit.

The eight cases discovered in the MLU were found to be “a disproportionally large number” for a unit where just 10% of the total births in the hospital take place.

According to the Health Service Executive, breech diagnosed in early labour is not considered a critical incident and would not usually be reported.

However, breech diagnosed in advanced labour is a “significant incident and would usually be reported”.

The review found 13 of the 21 cases identified were only detected in advanced labour.

When asked if the 13 cases had been reported as “significant incidents” a spokesperson said the “the HSE cannot confirm, this evening, how many of the 13 cases had incident reports completed.”

In a statement the HSE said that the results of the clinical audit indicate the rate of undiagnosed breech in labour is below that which has been reported in the small number of international studies that exist on the topic.

The statement also said that following implementation of a number of recommendations in the wake of the review  “…the number of undiagnosed breeches has significantly reduced…”

Overcrowding problems worsen with Lourdes Hospital again the worst offender

The A&E of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital is the most overcrowded in the country at present

The overcrowding crisis in our country’s hospitals continued to grow this morning with 601 patients on trolleys or wards waiting for admission to a bed.

That is a new record and surpasses yesterday’s previous record of 561, according to the figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation (INMO).

Once again Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda had the highest level of overcrowding nationally with 45 patients waiting – although this was less than the 50 from 24 hours earlier.

Union officials representing nurses and midwives at Our Lady of Lourdes are seeking urgent intervention from the Labour Relations Commission over conditions there.

Staff voted in favour of industrial action last October but suspended strike action planned for November to allow for talks at the LRC.

INMO Industrial Relations officer Tony Fitzpatrick said he is making contact today with the commission because of the worsening situation in the hospital.

The Health Service Executive has acknowledged that there have been “sustained pressures” in the hospital’s emergency department over the past few weeks.

Anne Street store served with closure order

A closure order was served on a local grocery store by the Food Safety Authority last month for breaches of food safety regulations.

L&M Store at 71 Anne Street, Dundalk was served the closure order under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations 2010.

Also served with a closure order under the same act was ‘The Kitchen’ Chinese takeaway in Dunleer.

The closure orders were served by environmental health officers in the Health Service Executive.

Dundalk restaurant served with closure order by Food Safety Authority of Ireland

The Golden Dragon in Clanbrassil Street

The Golden Dragon Chinese Restaurant in Dundalk was one of seven businesses around the country that had closure orders served on them during the month of July by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

The restaurant, located on the first floor of 88 Clanbrassil Street above the Greenmount Restaurant – had a closure order served on it under the EC (Official Control of Foodstuffs) Regulations 2010.

The notice was served on Zhao Jie Wu by the Health Service Executive on July 29^th and lifted on August 1^st.

Earlier in the month a similar notice was served on Neil McGorrian of The Coachman’s Tearooms on the Dublin Road at Dromiskin. It was served on July 10^th and lifted on July 11^th.

Explaining the closure order to Talk of the Town, a spokesperson for the Coachman’s said: “We were closed due to the water being brown due to pipework being done in the area. We were granted a lift the next day when it came back.”

The Coachman’s insist the problem was beyond their control and that everything has been running smoothly since then.

The law under which both premises were closed relates to a non-compliance with food legislation.

Kirk calls for urgent action to be taken at Lourdes Hospital over trolley crisis

Seamus Kirk

Local TD Seamus Kirk has called for urgent action to be taken at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda to alleviate the ongoing trolley crisis.

There were 32 patients on trolleys at the hospital yesterday, up from 25 the day before.

Last week the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation’s (INMO) Tony Fitzpatrick described the Drogheda hospital as “probably the worst overcrowded emergency department in the country.”

Yesterday Deputy Kirk raised the matter in the Dáil in front of the Minister for Health James Reilly, pointing out that “no other hospital in the country has as many people on trolleys today as Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital” – with one in every seven patients on trolleys around the country located in Drogheda.

The Fianna Fáil representative also pointed out that between January and April of this year there had been 1,855 people on trolleys at the hospital, compared to 1,397 for the same perod the year before.

He described the rising figures as “extremely serious” and fears a “serious crisis” if something is not done soon.

“The reality is that the accident and emergency facilities at the hospital are overcrowded and the level of staff cover is seriously inadequate. I predict that a very serious crisis will arise at the hospital sooner or later when it proves impossible to admit patients to the hospital in emergency situations because an adequate level of staff to cater for their immediate needs is not available,” he said.

“The whole concept of requiring people who are more than 80 years of age to lie on trolleys for ten or 12 hours at a time is simply unacceptable in this day and age. We all accept that savings and curtailments are necessary, but certain areas need to be prioritised in that context. I suggest that the area of accident and emergency should be a clear priority within the health service.”

Deputy Kirk then called on the HSE to “immediately examine the adequacy of staff cover at the hospital.”

In his response the Minister for Health Dr James Reilly said the problems at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital were not uncommon in other hospitals around the country.

While he admitted that it was “unacceptable to have patients on trolleys for eight to ten hours”, he pointed out that waiting times had fallen before outlining some of the measures that had been taken to alleviate problems at the hospital.

He said: “The overall length of stay in medicine, surgery and orthopaedics is well within the targets set nationally and by the clinical care programmes.

“Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital recently got planning permission for the second phase of its planned expansion, which will provide an enlarged emergency department and 60 en suite single accommodation rooms which are fully compliant with the strategy for the control of antimicrobial resistance in Ireland. The hospital is actively bringing NCHD rosters into compliance with the requirements of the European working time directive. Medical on-call rotas have been reduced from 24 hours to 12 hours.

“The hospital, supported by the special delivery unit, is continuing to actively seek improvements in the provision of patient care. Current priorities include the improvement of patient clinical pathways, the optimisation of the use of the acute medicine unit and the movement of patients to lower acuity beds at other facilities, such as Louth County Hospital, when his or her condition is sufficiently stable to do so.

“Consideration is also being given to nurse staffing of the day ward and transition lounge.”

In response Deputy Kirk said he found it difficult to accept the Minister’s assertion that timelines at the hospital were broadly in line with those nationally, pointing out that that was not what he was hearing in his constituency.

Dr Reilly then gave a commitment that “everything will be done to improve the situation in Drogheda and identify the reasons for the increase in the number of patients on trolleys.”

He said: “I assure the Deputy and the people of Drogheda and the Dublin north-east region that everything will be done to ensure they have a safe, efficient and effective service and that patients do not spend any longer on trolleys than is absolutely essential.”

Minister Reilly further added that he was going to be meeting today with the new HSE Director of Hospitals and the HSE Director General and the situation at the Lourdes Hospital is due to be discussed at that meeting.

 

Almost half of Louth now has a medical card

Almost one in every two people in Louth have a medical card, according to new figures released by the Health Service Executive.

The figures, published by The Irish Times, revealed that 49.1% of the Wee County’s population had a medical card at the end of April – the third highest figure nationally after Mayo (49.25%) and Donegal (54.63%).

This was also well above the national average of 39.24%.

In total 60,345 people in Louth have a medical card, according to the figures. This is an increase on the 58,237 who had a medical card in the county in March 2012 when 47.39% of the county’s population had a medical card.

Despite the high figures, Louth had the third lowest rate of discretionary medical cards in the country at 1.2%, just behind Dublin (1.1%) and Meath (1%).

Gardaí investigating death of Dundalk woman in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital

Gardaí in Dundalk are investigating the care provided to an elderly woman, who died last month.

A garda spokesman confirmed that they were alerted by medical staff who were concerned about the woman’s condition on her admission to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

She was an in-patient for a number of weeks before she passed away.

It is understood the woman was underweight and had a number of bedsores.

It is also understood the woman, who was from Dundalk, had been living with a family member and was not in a nursing home.

“We will be talking to the people who looked after her in hospital as well as to family members,” the garda spokesman said.

Gardaí are liaising with the Health Service Executive and carrying out an investigation into her care before her death.

They did not interview the woman.

A post-mortem examination was carried out and an inquest will be held at a later date.

A spokeswoman for the HSE said: “While the HSE does not comment on any individual, we can advise that the HSE always cooperates with gardaí when required to do so.”

HSE launch An Bord Pleanala appeal as they seek to convert church at St Brigid’s Hospital into offices

The Health Service Executive have launched an appeal to An Bord Pleanala against Louth County Council’s decision to refuse them planning permission to convert the church at St Brigid’s Hospital in Ardee into office space.

The HSE made the planning application earlier this year but it was refused by the local authority in October on the basis that the building in question is a protected structure.

Ombudsman to visit Dundalk later this month

Staff from the Office of the Ombudsman will be visiting the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dundalk on Wednesday November 27^th to allow members of the public to receive information or make complaints.

They will be in attendance from 10am to 1pm, 2pm to 5.30pm and 6.30pm to 7.30pm.

The Ombudsman can investigate complaints about Government Departments, the Health Service Executive (including public hospitals & health agencies providing services on behalf of the HSE), Local Authorities & many bodies that are covered by the Disability Act 2005. On 1st May over 180 public bodies were brought under the Ombudsman’s remit. These include publicly funded third level institutions and educational bodies such as the Central Applications Office (CAO) and Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Also under remit are FÁS, the Legal Aid Board, the National Treatment Purchase Fund, the National Transport Authority, the Family Support Agency, Sustainable Energy Ireland, and a range of other public bodies.

The Ombudsman cannot examine complaints related to consumer matters, financial products, private pensions, An Garda Síochána, prisons, the Employment Appeals Tribunal or Labour Court or complaints relating to the law on foreign nationals or naturalisation.