Anger over Mayo hospital’s follow-up patient care

A MAYO member of the HSE West Forum has revealed he has received a number of complaints over the approach by Mayo University Hospital regarding follow-up care of patients.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne said it is ‘a most serious issue’ and he is determined to have it resolved.

He elaborated: "People have told me they are having to make an appointment to visit their loved ones at the Castlebar facility.

“Yet the biggest hospital in this country, Beaumont Hospital, doesn't require anyone to make appointments. Nobody even asks you who you are, you can just go in and out there for visiting.

"I have been made aware of a number of cases of family members being asked at Mayo University Hospital – not by the general manager - what arrangements they are making regarding the future of a patient.

“In one case, a woman was asked into an office to outline what arrangements she was making for her husband as the hospital ‘could not do any more for him’.

“She was not given any warning of the meeting and was upset over what happened.

"This woman wanted to bring home her husband who needs two home helps due to his condition and she has a bad back.

She was offered just two hours a day of home help, with the message clearly being to put him into a nursing home at a cost of €1,000 a week, when home care is so much less costly.

“I am raising questions about some of the views these people are taking.

"I want an investigation because if I get another complaint like this, I will go to HIQA with it or send undercover people in to see what is going on."

Responding to his statement, Ann Cosgrave, chief operating officer, Saolta University Health Care Group, stated: “If there are individual complaints I would like to receive the details of these. In general, if a patient is being treated and requires follow up, the discharge process is discussed with themselves first.

“If it is more complex and the patient requires supports, it is the process in all hospitals to have a multi-disciplinary meeting with the patient, the next-of-kin and the relevant professionals looking after the patient.

"So the patient themselves is involved in the process and must be respected at all times and their family also. These meetings are not set up at the drop of the hat and are normally organised with the next-of-kin.

“I don't know the circumstances you are outlining here so if you give me the specifics I will check that out for you.

"But obviously, once acute care in hospital is finished, there is always a process to ensure a patient is safely provided for and there can be pressure at times in regard to services available in the community. The provision of home help is not a hospital decision as such.”

In a written response it was noted that the minutes of such meetings are given to the family with the patient's verbal consent, if requested.