The health minister has said she would have no hesitation in recommending Cork University Hospital (CUH) to a sick relative, praising the standard of care at the hospital.
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill also said there was “no question” that CUH chief executive Jennifer Kearney had been “punished” after raising concerns about staffing levels at the hospital.
Nine clinical directors at CUH wrote to Taoiseach Micheál Martin last week about ongoing staffing issues. Since then, the health minister has dismissed the concerns, repeatedly saying the hospital had hired twice as many people as had been budgeted for.
Speaking at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis in Cork on Saturday morning, Ms Carroll MacNeill said she would recommend that a family member attend the hospital if they were unwell.
“Absolutely,” she said.
“The quality of patient care in CUH and in the Mercy is extremely good. Their outcomes are extremely good. They have very, very specialist, capable consultants right across a whole range of disciplines, and of course then the Mercy as well. So it’s very, very good care.
“What we need to do with the region generally is make sure that the whole region is using the considerable additional resources that the taxpayer has given it. So that has been investment, for example, in additional beds in Mallow, which has gone from 34 to 97. We have very significant staff increases right around the county.
“Indeed, I have friends and family that have had care in CUH, exceptionally good cancer care in particular, and of course it’s a major trauma centre. So no, I would have very strong confidence in the care that’s delivered in CUH.
“What we always want to do is make sure that our processes are tip-top as well. Every hospital is evolving in that. CUH, the Mercy, Beaumont, all of them together. There’s no exceptions to that. I have very strong confidence in the care, and very strong confidence in the consultants, the healthcare workers right across the board, nurses, midwives, CUMH. There’s exceptionally good care.”
Ms Carroll MacNeill did not say whether Andy Phillips, the HSE’s most senior executive in the region, would face disciplinary action after he said at an August meeting that he had been asked to have “very specific” conversations with CUH management by the Taoiseach’s office.
In a statement to the Irish Times on Saturday, Mr Phillips said he “did not receive any instructions from either the Taoiseach or Minister for Health regarding what I should say in this conversation” and regretted saying so during a “heated conversation”.
Asked whether Ms Kearney was being punished, Ms Carroll MacNeill said: “There’s no question of that.”
“What I’ve done is highlighted the number of additional people, for example, that have been hired by CUH this year. Which the number, most recent number that I had is 324. And the reason that matters to highlight is the context against all of the other model four hospitals.”
– Paul Hosford Deputy Political Editor