Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork today launched a Five Year Strategic Plan, aimed at securing a sustainable and viable future for the hospital which has provided acute and non-acute health care for over 150 years.

The Plan, commissioned by the Provincial Leadership Team of the Sisters of Mercy, Southern Province, and intended to make a constructive contribution to the ongoing development of the Mercy University Hospital, was compiled by management consultants, PROSPECTUS, and involved comprehensive consultation with MUH Staff, and with representatives of the HSE and University College Cork.

The Plan strongly affirms the intention of the hospital to continue to be a leading provider of acute and non-acute healthcare and to protect its distinctive Mercy and voluntary ethos against a backdrop of change in the Irish health service.   This intention is clearly and strongly voiced by the Chairperson of the Hospital’s Board of Governors, Mr Des Murphy:

“It is fundamental that MUH strengthens its position and that it remains relevant in the future. There has been much unhelpful speculation about the Hospital’s future in recent months, which has been damaging to stability and staff morale. While acknowledging the current difficult financial environment, there is need to continue to meet quality criteria, while various proposals on re-configuration of services in the Region are under consideration”.

“As a hospital, MUH has a distinctive ethos which has served the people of Cork and the Region well.  It is important that the Mercy Ethos is strongly supported by the staff in the hospital.  Moreover, the hospital has specific clinical expertise which, far from being dismantled, should be enhanced and developed in the context of a logical re-organisation of services in the Region. We support the integration of health services, but that must happen on the basis of common sense, as well as mutual respect and parity of esteem between all key health service stakeholders.”

The MUH Strategic Plan clearly supports the integration of health services in the Region and outlines a new model of operation for MUH to support this. However, it warns that CUH, which has been identified by HSE as the location for most acute services is already operating beyond its capacity. The Plan describes the terms of engagement by which the State (HSE and Department of Health and Children) relate to voluntary healthcare agencies as, “problematic, ambiguous and short term” in nature, finding that “the HSE’s dual role as both commissioner and operator of healthcare services puts a heavy obligation on it being objective”.

In launching the Strategic Plan, Mr Murphy said: “This is a critical document, not just for Mercy University Hospital, but, we believe also, for the future direction of healthcare in the Region. It is a practical and implementable plan of action, that seeks to preserve what is of value, while at the same time responding with openness and flexibility to the changing and challenging environment within which health care must be delivered. The Plan deserves very careful consideration by all stakeholders.”

To download the plan click here.