Hospitals May Lose Lab Services Under Cost-Cutting Plan

More than 25 hospitals around the country could reportedly lose their laboratory services under a new cost-cutting plan from the HSE.

At present, tests ordered by hospital doctors and GPs are carried out by laboratories in more than 40 hospitals.

However, reports this morning say the HSE is planning major changes that would see tests ordered by GPs being carried out in new stand-alone laboratories based in Dublin, the south and the west.

Tests ordered by hospital doctors would also be centralised in between eight and 14 acute regional hospitals.

The move is reportedly designed to make substantial savings in the HSE’s €328m annual bill for laboratory services.