Vigil held in Fermoy amid concerns over SouthDoc services

People gathered outside SouthDoc Fermoy for a vigil last night as concerns remain over the provision of the SouthDoc Fermoy Red Eye (overnight) services.

The vigil took place at 10pm to mark what local representatives and residents claimed was the final Red Eye service at Fermoy SouthDoc.

However, in a statement issued by SouthDoc and Cork Kerry Community Healthcare yesterday, SouthDoc said that all patients in Cork and Kerry are entitled to access the service and that there are no plans to withdraw access from the population as a whole, or any specific cohort.

“The HSE has in place a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with SouthDoc for a quantum of service with an associated funding stream for the Cork Kerry Community Healthcare region,” said the statement.

“SouthDoc continues to provide this quantum of service from 6pm to 8am each weekday and 24-hour cover at weekends and public holidays.

“SouthDoc does not have any plans to alter this quantum of service commitment.”

The statement went on to say that ever-increasing demand, against the backdrop of a chronic shortage of doctors, has necessitated a review of the allocation of doctors, which will be done through reforming doctor rosters, but which will not impact the service provision overnight and that “there is no reduction in service to North Cork”.

“It is also important to note that SouthDoc’s ‘Red Eye’ service of 10pm to 8am is capable of dealing with approx 500 patients.

“This is far in excess of the current demand, which is on average 100 patients per night.

“It is therefore well resourced to meet current and any potential increase in this demand,” the statement read.

Speaking to The Echo, a local resident and one of the organisers of the vigil who wished to remain anonymous, said that they fear that there will be no out-of-hours GP service at SouthDoc Fermoy from 10pm on weekdays and from 6pm on weekends.

“It’s a huge catchment area and we’re really trying to highlight this situation because it’s going to be a huge loss to the area,” they said. 

“The thoughts of nearly 10,000 people now having to use the services in Mallow or Cork which are already stretched to the limit.”

Labour TD Seán Sherlock, who called a public meeting on the issue on Monday night, said: 

“I hope that SouthDoc has gauged the level of anger felt by the public at the proposed loss of Red Eye GP cover for Fermoy and Mitchelstown.

“This is not something that we as local politicians are going to take lying down.

“The utter contempt with which staff are being treated makes a mockery of any industrial relations process.

“We want this decision reversed. People who are served by the SouthDoc cell in Mitchelstown and Fermoy want their Red Eye and out-of-hours service retained. Anything short of that will not be accepted.”

Fine Gael councillor Noel McCarthy called for an urgent meeting with SouthDoc management on the issue.

“Unless we have a meeting with the management of SouthDoc then we won’t know exactly what’s going on and that’s what we’re demanding now is an immediate meeting with the management of SouthDoc,” said Mr McCarthy.

“It’s defeating the purpose of SouthDoc if we haven’t got a service. Fermoy and Mitchelstown cover a huge area.”

The Echo approached Cork Kerry Community Healthcare and SouthDoc for further clarification around levels of service in the area.