Surgeons from Cork University Hospital (CUH) have expressed their willingness to withdraw from the planning and implementation of a significant trauma centre at their institution. They’ve cited ongoing issues in trauma care delivery as their primary concern. Last year, Stephen Donnelly, the Health Minister, inaugurated two of Ireland’s major trauma centres (MTCs), one located in Dublin at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, the other at CUH. These centres aim to offer optimal specialist trauma care to patients who have suffered serious injuries.
The Irish nation is presently divided into two trauma networks, the Central Trauma Network and the South Trauma Network, each responsible for handling patients with various injuries such as head trauma, broken bones, or car accident injuries. It’s understood that CUH surgeons have identified issues around the assignment of surgical care teams for the treatment of critically injured patients, and argue that this creates treatment delays and inferior patient outcomes.
In a communication drafted last April 12th, the surgeons voiced their concern to David Donergan, CEO of CUH. The letter acknowledged their regular involvement in the MTC planning process and their full approval of Ireland’s Trauma System report recommendations, issued in 2018. However, expressing deep concern, the surgeons collectively stated their experiences and fears regarding future patient care had been unfairly dismissed by CUH management. They have shown unease in the management structure of the trauma project, which they state doesn’t include anyone from their team and that the plans seem to be straying from crucial recommendations.
Moreover, the letter declared the plans have been grounded on an innovative physician-led model of trauma care – a model the surgeons argue lacks precedence in the UK or Europe, where MTCs have already been firmly established.
“Regrettably, we can no longer partake in any form, be it as individuals or collectively, in an operation that fails to acknowledge the latest standards in trauma treatment, our surgical expertise, our misgivings about present and future trauma care at CUH, or our responsibility towards non-trauma patients,” the surgeons expressed.
In response to the issues outlined in the surgeons’ letter, a CUH spokesperson stated that the hospital was selected to function as a vital trauma centre under a multi-stage, multi-year initiative. “CUH has received funding to execute the first phase of this ongoing initiative. Any patient visiting CUH still receives all the necessary surgical attention as dictated by their medical condition,” conveyed the spokesperson. “CUH leadership maintains open communication with colleagues concerning any potential issues of concern.”