Tallaght comes last in hospital rankings
The troubled hospital at the centre of an X-ray scandal earlier this year has plunged to the bottom of the latest performance league tables, it emerged yesterday.
Tallaght Hospital in Dublin has the worst marks of all hospitals based on measurements such as waiting lists, use of resources and emergency department delays.
The hospitals at the top of the table are St James's and St Vincent's Hospitals in Dublin and Cavan General Hospital, with all other hospitals in the 'average' zone.
Earlier this year Tallaght Hospital was at the centre of a controversy involving nearly 58,000 X-rays, which went unchecked by radiologists, and 3,500 unread letters from GPs.
A report of an external review of why it happened is due in the coming months.
Tallaght Hospital was hit by another blow earlier this summer when Professor Kevin Conlon, the chief executive designate, chose not to take the job.
A spokeswoman for the hospital told the Irish Independent yesterday that John O'Connell has been appointed acting chief executive pending the advertisement and filling of the position.
However, she confirmed that, despite the recommendations of a highly critical report in March, the hospital had yet to set up a 10-member management board to bring in new expertise.
According to the latest monthly league table report, Tallaght has scored the lowest marks for trolley waits in its emergency department and delays in referring people from GPs for routine outpatient diagnostics such as ultrasound.
Other bad marks were received for absenteeism and also for compliance by consultants to their new work contract to see more public patients.
Closure
In contrast, St James's Hospital received a high score for trolley waits in its emergency department and also for the waiting time for an appointment to see a consultant.
Meanwhile, patients on public waiting lists from four counties will be hit by the temporary closure of an orthopaedic unit serving the north-east, it was confirmed yesterday.
The unit in Our Lady's Hospital in Navan is expected to close early next month until December or January in a bid to save money, said the HSE.
It is another blow for the hospital, which recently lost its acute and emergency surgery service, forcing more than 1,500 patients to travel to hospitals in Louth or Dublin for operations.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
Irish Independent
