South to get six medical assessment units

The HSE plans to introduce Medical Assessment Units (MAUs) and Admissions Units in six of its hospitals in the south of Ireland, as part of its major reconfiguration programme.
Units will be established at Bantry, CUH, Kerry General, Mallow General, Mercy University Hospital and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital, Prof John Higgins, Director of Reconfiguration in the South has confirmed.

Physician Dr Jennifer Carroll, who has successfully introduced a similar unit in St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny, will oversee the regional development, providing quality standards and operating protocols and integrating these units into existing hospital systems.
In a progress report to the Regional Health Forum last week (September 24), Prof Higgins revealed that a 24/7 team of six advanced paramedics (APs) and a fully equipped rapid response vehicle, based in Bantry, will be on the ground on October 12.
Pre-planned training scenarios will be conducted later in the month to test performance in different circumstances and at different locations before the APs service goes live in early November.
A new haemochromatosis testing service has also been introduced in recent weeks, consisting of an in-house testing regime at CUH that replaces outsourcing to the UK, thereby creating significant savings to patients and the taxpayer. The new system is up and running and a full audit will be carried out this month.
Prof Higgins also reported that the Cork city hospitals, and Mallow General Hospital, would act collectively to provide an integrated emergency service for the city and for North Cork. This will include a co-ordinated approach to bed management and the phasing out of trolleys, he explained.
In recent weeks, more than 40 subgroups representing all specialties and corporate functions with the HSE have been established and asked to report back by the end of October. Each subgroup will examine how best to deliver their service in accordance with the principles of reconfiguration.
“Output from the subgroups will feed into a plan for a new integrated health system for the region, which should be complete by the end of the year,” stated Prof Higgins.