Connacht Tribune
Motor Neurone man can’t come home because of internal HSE row
The plight of a Connemara man suffering from Motor Neurone Disease, who is over a year in High Dependency Unit waiting to secure a homecare package, was highlighted in Seanad Éireann.
And an internal ‘turf war’ between two departments within the Health Service Executive (HSE) was blamed for delaying the discharge home to Tuairin from hospital of Baile na hAbhann native Andrew Lydon.
Sinn Féin Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh suggested in the Upper House that the HSE was not willing to take responsibility for putting in place a proper package which would allow him to return home.
The case – first highlighted in this newspaper in 2014, and again last month – involves Andrew, a father of two, who had to fight to get access to life-saving surgery three years ago.
The HSE had initially refused to grant the Connemara man a tracheostomy to extend his life. It was HSE policy not to provide MND (also known as ALS) patients with this procedure because of the prohibitive cost of aftercare packages associated with the operation. Some aftercare packages would cost tens of thousands of Euros per annum.
But after a public campaign by the father of two, and his wife, Sally Lydon, the HSE agreed to operate.
Andrew underwent surgery at University Hospital Galway (UHG) in mid-April last year, and it went well, but he has been occupying a bed in the High Dependency Unit (HDU) for more than a year.
Last month, Sally vented her frustrations in the Connacht Tribune, over the HSE’s failure to provide a homecare package, and lack of engagement on the issue.
She called on the HSE to ‘get the finger out’ to provide a package; and said her husband was feeling guilty at having to take up a bed in HDU, when what he needs is adequate aftercare.
Senator Ó Clochartaigh, who has championed the Lydons’ cause from the beginning, raised the issue again last week.
He said Andrew had undergone a successful tracheotomy operation and it was expected that afterward, once an agreed home care package was put in place and suitable nurses and carers were made available, that he would be able to spend the remainder of his years at home.
“That has not happened unfortunately, even though the efforts of his family, particularly his wife, have been ongoing,” he said.
“It appears that there is a kind of stand-off between two parts of the HSE, namely, that which runs the hospital section and the primary care section.”
He said the Primary, Community and Continuing Care (PCCC) side of the HSE had initially estimated that it would cost something of the order of €750,000 to provide home care on a 24-7 basis.
However, the family’s research indicates that this could be done for a fraction that, so they actually made a saving for the HSE in respect of the potential cost.
Senator Ó Clochartaigh asked Minister of State Finian McGrath to intervene as quickly as possible in the situation.
In reply, Tuam native Minister McGrath said he had asked the HSE for a report on the case.
“The HSE has informed that the person concerned is in a high dependency unit in University Hospital Galway and is in need of 24-hour care,” he said.
“I understand from the HSE that it is in discussion with the family on the appropriate options for the person’s discharge from the UHG. The HSE community health care organisation for Area 2, which covers Galway, Mayo and Roscommon, has assured me that it is actively engaging on an ongoing basis with the family with regard to the most suitable and appropriate care for the person.”
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
