Tag Archives: Ennis Hospital

The doors of the new €2m purpose built injury unit at Ennis Hospital have opened this Friday morning. The facility, adjacent to the main entrance of Ennis Hospital, replaces the existing unit that has operated out of the main hospital building since 2013. The new unit boasts five separate patient assessment bays, and according to the HSE will have the highest standards in Infection Prevention and Control (IP&C) compliance. There is also a brightly decorated waiting room and a separate triage area. Other utilities include a clinical room, storeroom, senior nurse manager’s office space, and a nurses’ station. Laid out in approximately 300 square metres (almost 3,230 square feet) of floor space, the Injury Unit cost just under €2m—funded from the HSE capital budget—and the project was managed by HSE Capital & Estates. Joe Cassidy, Acting Director of Nursing at Ennis Hospital, said the new unit would bring immediate improvements for staff and significantly enhance the overall patient experience at …

THE HSE has confirmed a €9.95 million capital budget allocation for the upgrade of a theatre at Ennis Hospital The project has already progressed to design stage according to Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara who received confirmation of the allocation from UL Hospitals Group CEO Collete Cowan. Ms Cowan confirmed the news to Deputy McNamara in response to his representations on theatre utilisation rates at Ennis Hospital, University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Nenagh Hospital and St. John’s Hospital during the pandemic. “While I very much welcome this long-awaited investment in theatre facilities in Ennis, I would like to see the project accelerated as figures given to me confirm the HSE’s pandemic response disproportionately impacted theatre usage at Ennis Hospital compared to other hospitals within the UL Hospitals Group,” commented Deputy McNamara. Some 2,021 procedures were carried out in Ennis during 2019, but this figure dropped by 56% to 897 in 2021. This compares to a 40% reduction at Nenagh Hospital (3,392 …

AN inspection of the Acute Psychiatric Unit at Ennis Hospital by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) found a ‘critical risk’ non-compliance. The centre, which provides in-patient mental health care to residents of North Tipperary and County Clare, achieved an overall compliance rate of 71%, a 7% increase on the 64% it received in 2020. However, the inspection identified one critical risk and six high-risk non-compliances, with the critical risk relating to risk management procedures. The Ennis inspection report was one of three published by the MHC along with mental health centres in Drogheda and Offaly. Across all three the MHC found one critical and sixteen high-risk non-compliances “All of the centres inspected were non-compliant with the regulation relating to premises,” said the Inspector of Mental Health Services, Dr Susan Finnerty. “We see issues with buildings not being maintained, bathrooms not being ventilated and the lack of sufficient privacy for patients. These environments are not conducive to the treatment and recovery …

VISITING has been restricted across both inpatient wards at Ennis Hospital from this Wednesday January 26, following an outbreak of COVID-19 on the Fergus Ward. Management of a COVID-19 outbreak on the Burren Ward also continues this week, and as a precautionary measure, visiting is not being permitted on both wards. An outbreak control team has convened and the visiting restrictions are being reviewed on a daily basis. Access to other areas of Ennis Hospital is unaffected and can continue as normal. The only exceptions to the visiting restrictions on both wards are: People assisting confused patients (e.g. dementia) (on a case-by-case basis); people visiting patients who are critically unwell or at end of life (on a case-by-case basis); these exemptions are limited to one person per patient only. A spokesperson for UL Hospitals said, “We regret any inconvenience the visiting restrictions cause for inpatients on the Fergus and Burren Wards, and for their loved ones. “Hospital management has decided …

    The majority of scheduled public surgery and outpatient appointments in the Mid-West will be deferred next Tuesday due to an increase in staff absences . The UL Hospitals’ Group has confirmed Covid-19 related staff absences are resulting in significant disruption to services. This has resulted in the deferral of most of scheduled surgery and outpatient appointments across all hospital sites from Tuesday, January 4 until Friday, January 7. This includes University Hospital Limerick, Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, St John’s Hospital, and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital. Services at University Maternity Hospital Limerick are unaffected. All impacted patients are being contacted directly by the hospital.   As the group experience a significant surge in Covid-19 activity across society, it anticipates that an increase in staff absences will have a significant impact on services over the coming weeks. There are currently 392 staff off work and self-isolating having either tested positive for Covid-19, been designated as a close contact or have been …

    UL Hospitals’ Group vaccinators will be running six Walk-In Covid Vaccine Booster Clinics for 60-69-year-olds at our vaccination centres this weekend. This is in addition to separate walk-in clinics for anyone who has not yet received their primary Dose 1 or Dose 2 vaccines. People attending walk-in clinics at the Limerick centre in Scoil Carmel this weekend can avail of a free shuttle-bus service, which will run between the Southcourt Hotel, Raheen, and the centre, every half-hour between 8am and 7.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. The Walk-in Covid Vaccine Booster clinics will be held at the Mid-West Covid Vaccination Centres in the former Outpatients’ Department at Ennis Hospital on Friday from 11 am to 6pm and on Saturday from 12noon to 6pm; in the Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh on Saturday from 2 to 7pm, and on Sunday from 8.30am to 7pm; and Scoil Carmel in Limerick on Saturday from 12 noon to 7pm and Sunday 8.30am to 7pm. …

  UL Hospitals’ Group vaccinators will continue operating three Walk-In Dose One and Dose Two Vaccine Clinics this weekend, starting from Friday. These clinics are strictly for Dose One and Dose Two vaccines, and should not be attended by anyone seeking a third vaccine dose. The Walk-In Dose One and Dose Two clinics will be held at the Mid-West Covid-19 Vaccination Centres in Ennis Hospital in the former Outpatients’ Department on Friday, November 26, from 4 to 7pm in the Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh on Saturday from 4 to 6pm and in Limerick Racecourse on Sunday, November 28 from 2 to 6pm. Anyone attending a walk-in clinic for a second dose should bring their vaccine record card. A minimum of 21 days must have passed after Pfizer Dose 1 before Dose 2 is administered. The interval is 28 days for people who have received AstraZeneca/Moderna Dose 1 and are presenting for Pfizer Dose Two. People presenting, whether for Dose One …

A FURTHER expansion of the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) in Ennis Hospital is underway with a staff recruitment process ongoing, writes Jessica Quinn. A non-consultant hospital doctor, clerical staff member, and additional members of staff in cardiology services are in situ, while three additional nursing staff are scheduled to take up their posts within the next fortnight. Additional resources in allied health, general support and radiology are also at various stages of an ongoing recruitment process, the HSE confirmed in a response to representations made on the matter by Clare Independent TD Michael McNamara. “The first phase of the expansion was effected in December 2020 with four additional slots being provided from Monday to Friday,” said Deputy McNamara. “Once the personnel that are currently being recruited are in place, the HSE says it will be in a position to increase the number of weekly slots in the MAU by a further 32 between Monday and Friday and 20 at weekends …