New dermatology clinic in Ennis

A NEW dermatology clinic in Ennis Hospital has spared Clare patients the time and expense of regular trips to University Hospital Limerick.

The clinic, run once a month by locum consultant dermatologist Dr Maeve Lynch and Sheila Ryan, advanced nurse practitioner in dermatology, can accommodate up to 20 outpatients per clinic.

“It is a general dermatology seeing all the common skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne and skin cancer patients. We see patients of every age from birth up to the elderly,” said Dr Lynch.

“The clinic started in September 2016 and we are running it once a month. The aim is to improve access for patients in Clare to save them having to travel in to Limerick. It has just started but we are pleased with how it has been going so far,” added Dr Lynch.

Patricia O’Gorman, Operational Director of Nursing, Ennis Hospital, noted: “It is part of the strategy for the UL Hospitals Group that patients can access treatment as close to home as possible.  Some patients were travelling for over an hour to get to Limerick so we know already that this new clinic in Ennis has got a very positive response from patients in the area. Parking is also easier to find and for those patients who use public transport, the bus journey is a lot easier too.”

The dermatology clinic is the latest addition as the number of outpatients services in Ennis continues to grow. Other recent additions include a renal clinic and ENT (both OPD clinic and day surgery).

New palliative care services will shortly commence in Ennis Hospital with further additional services also being planned.