50 signatures reached
To: St. Luke's Managment & The HSE
Keep Pathfinder Workers in the Community
Keep Pathfinder Workers in the Community - Vulnerable Elderly Patients Need our Support.
Why is this important?
Pathfinder is a collaborative HSE initiative between St Luke’s General Hospital Carlow/Kilkenny and the National Ambulance Service.
It is an essential front line service that centres care around the elderly in Carlow and Kilkenny.
- It supports to the most vulnerable in our communities to help them avoid a hospital stay. In 2024 they supported 270 patients and that number has been steadily increasing.
They have knocked on the doors of hundreds of vulnerable people and allowed them to get the care and support they need in the comfort of their own homes.
There is a wealth of data that shows hospital stays can increase the risk of catching deathly bugs or viruses. It can also increase the risk of medication errors, falls, immobility and many more instances that can increase mortality.
Prevention is better than cure -
- Ultimately, where it is safe and possible to avoid a hospital stay, it can be better for a person's health, particularly someone who may already have an underlying health issue.
- It also means someone does not have to go through the logistical stress of a hospital stay which makes life easier for them and often, for the people and families who care for them.
Yet shockingly, over Christmas, the Management of St. Luke's decided to remove this essential lifeline and re-deploy these workers.
- Despite multiple attempts they have not provided any data to suggest this move is the best use of resources or is in the best interest of vulnerable people.
The management say this is a "temporary" re-deployment but the manner in which they have callously cut Pathfinders does not inspire confidence, nor have they published any data that explores the ramifications that even a "temporary" closure will have on people.
To date there has been a serious lack of transparency and oversight.
This petition calls on the HSE and the management of St. Luke's to reverse their decision and keep Pathfinder Workers in the community.
There is no evidence to suggest that re-deploying these workers into St. Luke's will result in more early supported discharges.
We need funding to enhance more essential services and ESD - Not cuts to established essential services.
It is possible that the removal of this service in Carlow and Kilkenny could be the start of a Nationwide move to cut this frontline service.
It is an essential front line service that centres care around the elderly in Carlow and Kilkenny.
- It supports to the most vulnerable in our communities to help them avoid a hospital stay. In 2024 they supported 270 patients and that number has been steadily increasing.
They have knocked on the doors of hundreds of vulnerable people and allowed them to get the care and support they need in the comfort of their own homes.
There is a wealth of data that shows hospital stays can increase the risk of catching deathly bugs or viruses. It can also increase the risk of medication errors, falls, immobility and many more instances that can increase mortality.
Prevention is better than cure -
- Ultimately, where it is safe and possible to avoid a hospital stay, it can be better for a person's health, particularly someone who may already have an underlying health issue.
- It also means someone does not have to go through the logistical stress of a hospital stay which makes life easier for them and often, for the people and families who care for them.
Yet shockingly, over Christmas, the Management of St. Luke's decided to remove this essential lifeline and re-deploy these workers.
- Despite multiple attempts they have not provided any data to suggest this move is the best use of resources or is in the best interest of vulnerable people.
The management say this is a "temporary" re-deployment but the manner in which they have callously cut Pathfinders does not inspire confidence, nor have they published any data that explores the ramifications that even a "temporary" closure will have on people.
To date there has been a serious lack of transparency and oversight.
This petition calls on the HSE and the management of St. Luke's to reverse their decision and keep Pathfinder Workers in the community.
There is no evidence to suggest that re-deploying these workers into St. Luke's will result in more early supported discharges.
We need funding to enhance more essential services and ESD - Not cuts to established essential services.
It is possible that the removal of this service in Carlow and Kilkenny could be the start of a Nationwide move to cut this frontline service.