Extra day surgeries sought for hospital

NEGOTIATIONS are continuing between the Health Service Executive (HSE) and a number of consultants to secure extra day procedures at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Ennis, the new hospital manager, Frank Keane has revealed.

Mr Keane has pledged that Clare patients will no longer have to travel outside the county for specialties including plastic surgery, vascular surgery, ear nose and throat and colorectal surgery, which can be delivered on a day-case basis.
A new plastic surgeon, Alan Hussey from Galway, has started work at the hospital; general surgery is being provided by A Naqvi, L Falke and S Tormey; colorectal surgery by E Condon and M Gilbride; maxillo-facial surgery by David Chin Chong and vascular surgery by E Kavanagh.
Professor Eric Masterson, consultant orthopaedic surgeon, holds a monthly clinic in Ennis and plans are being finalised to introduce additional orthopaedic day surgical services, which will be supported by an additional outpatient clinic.
Mr Keane anticipates that ear, nose and throat surgery, additional general surgery and additional orthopaedic clinics will be in place in the coming months with a strong commitment from local and regional management to continue to develop day surgery at Ennis hospital in coming years.
A new system of carrying out a comprehensive medical check on a patient a week before scheduled surgery has been introduced to avoid cancellations on the day of surgery.
Quin man, Mr Keane worked in Nenagh hospital in the post of acting manager for four and a half years and during his tenure there he oversaw the provision of a CAT scanner and re-development of the accident and emergency department and laboratory at a cost of €2.6 million, a new endoscopy suite costing €1.8m and a new extension, including clinical rooms, at a cost of about €1m.
The two hospitals are quite similar in size and he also had to cope with the controversial removal of accident and emergency services after 8pm from Nenagh and Ennis hospitals to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick in April 2009.
“No one wants to see the removal of services from any general hospital. There is a lot of medical information supporting this change and if it provides a much safer service, so be it.
“The decision was taken over a year ago and we now have to move on. Ennis hospital needs to retain its existing services and deliver new day services that it is equipped to deal with in a safe manner.
“I am fully committed to the future development of Ennis hospital and from the support I have received to date, so are all the staff. I am willing to engage further with the staff to enhance the services provided at Ennis hospital,” he said.

Front-line experience to aid new manager
FROM emergency medical technician to hospital manager – that’s the unusual career path taken by the new Ennis hospital manager, Frank Keane.
In fact, his entry into the provision of medical services happened by accident and was prompted by the completion of a Civil Defence First Aid course under the tutelage of John Dormer, Liam Griffin and the late Noel Carmody.
Following a few applications to the ambulance service, the 45-year-old father-of-one eventually managed to gain admission and started with the Ennis ambulance service in 1992. Having completed a training course with the national ambulance service in Dublin, he remained in Ennis until 1996, before he was transferred to a station in Limerick City.
A three-year stint as an emergency medical technician in Limerick City resulted in promotion to the rank of ambulance officer with special responsibility for information technology at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick.
During his time in the ambulance service he went to the United Kingdom, where he trained to become a paramedic and tutor under the Institute for Healthcare and Development, which included clinical placements at the Greater Manchester Ambulance Service and Bristol Ambulance Service. His interest in public administration was fostered by the completion of a BA in Public Management, which has also proven to be very useful.
He taught major emergency training and is still a member of the Acute Life Threatening Emergency and Treatment (ALERT) faculty, which has co-operated with the University of Limerick for various medical studies.
In June 2002 he became a business manager at Limerick hospital, specialising in surgery and theatre and critical care. In December 2005, he took up the position of acting hospital manager in Nenagh hospital to cover a person out on sick leave and remained there for four and a half years. This involved over an hour’s commute from Ennis to Nenagh morning and evening.
Still able to do the hands-on work, six months ago Frank completed a night shift at the back of an ambulance in Limerick City. He found the protocols and work very similar and the only real difference he encountered was that the ambulance vehicles were much better equipped and laid out, following improvements in design and standards over the past decade.
He supported the move from two-stretcher to single-stretcher CEN ambulances to comply with EU regulations a few years ago.
“No paramedic can look after two critically ill patients at the back of an ambulance en route to a hospital. It is more appropriate for a paramedic to deliver emergency care to one major trauma patient in an ambulance. In an ideal world, there would be a separate patient transport system and one for dealing with emergency cases.
“I do miss working on the side of the road. I now spend a lot of time on the wards speaking with patients and members of the public and staff to make sure we are doing the best we can in the hospital.
“Not many people go down the career route I did. Having spent time delivering front-line services, I found it was very useful to have a clinical background when I became a manager.
“It is also a big advantage to spend four and a half years in Nenagh hospital, which only has three less beds and delivers almost identical healthcare to people in North Tipperary,” he said.
He supports the introduction of a national patient identification card and electronic medical records, provided it is done in a safe way and includes a method of storing old medical records.
His appointment has been welcomed by Deputy Pat Breen, who knows Frank well and predicts he will bring a wealth of experience to the role, having trained and worked in the Ambulance Service.
“Frank arrives in Ennis on the strength of a strong reputation which he has earned as general manager at Nenagh hospital, where reconfiguration has also taken place but where the promised infrastructural developments, namely a new medical unit, CT scanning facilities and a new endoscopy unit have all being delivered ahead of the introduction of any developments here in Ennis.
“I hope that Frank’s arrival in Ennis heralds a new beginning for the development of health services here in County Clare. The Minister for Health Mary Harney and the HSE must now support Frank’s appointment by providing the necessary funding so that the much-promised infrastructural developments and facilities which were promised to Ennis hospital are now delivered upon.”
A native of Quin, his father, Michael hails from Kildysart and ran a barber’s shop in Paddy Quin’s car park in Ennis for more than 20 years, where he was well known in the county town.
His mother, Nancy, née Fitzpatrick, comes from Kilroosky, County Roscommon. His wife, Martina hails from New Quay and they have one son, Seán.