Mercy pediatric services to relocate to CUH
Pediatric services at Cork's Mercy University Hospital will be relocated to CUH in April 2024. The move was brought to the attention of Cork City Councillor Kenneth O’Flynn by staff members who have concerns about the impact the relocation will have on the children who are cared for in the Mercy and their families.
Approximately 5,000 children attend the Mercy University Hospital (MUH) emergency department annually, and typically, over 1,000 children are admitted per year.
The hospital also houses a pediatric oncology unit along with oncology outreach nursing service, known as POONS, which allows children with cancer to receive treatment at home.
Cllr O’Flynn says that the loss of the pediatric services in MUH will be a significant blow to both the northside of the city and the region of North Cork.
“With all services being relocated to Cork University Hospital (CUH), families from the northside of the city will face significant challenges in accessing the care their children urgently require. The distance and potential delays in reaching CUH place an unnecessary burden on families already dealing with vulnerable loved ones,” he said.
“We’ve lost the North Infirmary on the northside, and now we are taking all the facilities out of the Mercy Hospital as well into a campus that is very overcrowded.
“While things look good on a paper, and you hear about centres of excellence, we are talking about children’s lives. Is CUH fit for purpose? From speaking to members of staff, not everybody believes that this is the best of ideas,” he added.
“The staff aren’t concerned about themselves; they are concerned about the children and the parents of the children that they look after."
Speaking about the move, a nurse at the Mercy Hospital said that staff held the belief that the HSE's intention was to relocate the services as quickly as possible and minimise public awareness about the change.
She also said that it would be a major loss for the families using the pediatric unit. “It’s sad to think the northside of the city will have to travel across to CUH with their sick children, never mind thinking about the children in the oncology unit that we treat; it’s such an upheaval for all these families. It's a disgrace in an already crumbling health service.”
South/South West Hospital Group (SSWHG) have released a statement confirming that they are working with the MUH and CUH and are planning the transfer and consolidation of pediatric services from MUH to CUH.
“It is intended that the migration of services will take place in April 2024. Until the date of transfer, pediatric services will continue at the Mercy University Hospital (MUH),” it said.
“The new Pediatric Department development located at CUH, combining both MUH and CUH pediatric departments, will cater for a centralised pediatric service within one location in Cork and in preparation for this transition an extended pediatric clinical governance structure is now led by a clinical director for the combined city services.
“This new development will deliver high quality care for children and will provide much needed pediatric care consistent with clinical care pathways and the model of care.”