THE NHS team due to carry out a review of Letterkenny University Hospital’s  management and governance are no longer coming over from Scotland following a u-turn by health care group, Saolta.
The external team were being brought in following a series of reports which outlined serious failings in governance structures at the hospital. Instead, Saolta has gone back to the drawing board and are now bringing in a “professional services firm” to undertake the review although no timeline has been given.

It comes as the hospital was under immense pressure earlier this week with patients being treated in ambulances outside the facility on Tuesday afternoon due to a lack of capacity. Ten ambulances were left queuing outside which prompted the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) to call for an urgent meeting with the hospital’s senior management to discuss what they say is “dangerous overcrowding”.

The move by Saolta to revise plans to bring in the NHS team has raised alarm bells for politicians and campaigners who feel questions need to be answered.
Speaking to the Donegal News Deputy Pearse Doherty said: “I think we need urgent answers and we have to remember that this stems from the report into gynaecology services about missed and delayed cancer diagnosis which led to the death of a number of women in the county.”

Deputy Doherty said the need for the external team also stems from a report published by the Health and Information Quality Authority (HIQA) last October which found not enough was done to safeguard the women of Donegal despite additional staffing and funding resources being made available.

“It is really disappointing that four to five months on there is no further progress. This needs to be explained by the HSE and Saolta.”

Cllr Gerry McMonagle, Chair of the HSE Western Regional Health Forum, also said he had serious concerns that the NHS team is no longer coming over to carry out the review. It is his intention to contact Saolta and find out why this has happened and when another team will be brought in.

Bristol based consultant, Dr Margaret MacMahon, who has campaigned on behalf of families impacted by the gynae scandal, said they were given assurances after the HIQA report that an external healthcare organisation was coming in.

“Everybody was assured that an external healthcare organisation was coming in and now we are all shocked to hear that is not happening. We would like to know why this has occurred and what are their contingencies,” said Dr MacMahon.
“They have to rectify the problem in the hospital and they have to get an alternative group with clinical expertise and leadership to manage the failings in the hospital.”

Asked about Saolta’s decision not to bring in the UK team a spokesperson for HIQA said: “HIQA were informed by the Saolta Group of the decision to revise their plans related to the external team that they had intended to bring in, and have instead tendered for services from professional services firms to fulfil this work which we understand is now underway.”

Asked who will be carrying out the review and when it will be taking place a spokesperson for Saolta said: “The Saolta University Health Care Group is keenly aware of the need for strong governance structures across all services in our hospitals and the wider group. We have commenced a process to identify and engage a team to support the roll out of further service improvement in LUH and the Saolta Group. This remains a work in progress and we will make no further comment while this process is underway.”