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Article
taken from Wexford People on October 14th 2009
Howlin
wary of new programmes effect on hospital
‘FURTHER
ALAM bells’ are now ringing at Wexford General
Hospital after Fíanna Fáil and the Greens reached an
agreement on a Programme for Government last weekend,
according to Labour’s Brendan Howlin.
The
Wexford TD said the devil is in the details of the new
Programme for Government and that in the section titled
‘Hospitals the new programme’ 'reprints the language
of the HSE’.
In
particular, we will ensure safe access for patients to
24 hour acute A&E services that meet such standards,
staffed with teams of consultants and qualified nurses
treating a range and number of patients to sustain high
levels of patient safety and professional competence, it
states.
This
is shorthand for centralised huge A&E departments,
serving regional populations, said Mr Howlin.
Up
to now I believed that A&E centralisation policy was
confined to the HSE and the non-party Minister for
Health. Worryingly
it seems that this policy is now supported by Fíanna Fáil
party and the Greens, concluded Mr Howlin.
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