Tag Archives: Ennis Hospital

Overcrowding continues to cause major difficulties at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) where there were 75 patients on trolleys on Monday following a very busy weekend of admissions. This trolley total was the highest in the country, and was 30 more than Letterkenny University Hospital where 45 patients were waiting to access an in-patient bed. On Sunday, the UL Hospitals’ Group issued a public appeal for patients to consider all alternative care options before presenting to the ED in UHL. The group admitted patients are experiencing long wait times following a week of very high demand for emergency services. In a statement issued to the Clare Champion, the group outlined every effort is being made by management and staff to reduce these wait times and to maximise patient flow. The group regrets that any patient has to wait for extended periods of time. During September 2021, daily attendances at the ED averaged 240 an increase of 22%, compared with 195 in …

Mid-West deputy’s claim coincides with dramatic rise in waiting lists A CONSULTANT working in University Hospital Limerick rang a Dáil deputy to arrange a scan for his patient, it was claimed this week. This coincides with the release of new figures showing that the number of outpatients waiting for public treatment in excess of 18 months in Ennis Hospital has more than trebled. Outpatients on the Ennis Hospital waiting list jumped from 235 in January 2020 to 855 in August 2021, according to figures obtained by The Clare Champion from the National Purchase Treatment Fund. Up to 400 outpatients in Ennis Hospital are waiting between six and 12 months for health services, while another 285 are waiting between 12 and 18 months. The number of inpatients waiting for treatment in the UL Hospitals’ Group has risen 28% up from 4,798 in January 2020 to 6,143 in August 2021. Outpatients in UHL jumped 21% from 35,983 to 43,359, Ennis Hospital recorded …

    VOLUNTEERS are being sought from Clare to help improve services across UL Hospitals’ Group by joining the Patient Council. The Patient Council was established in 2016 and provides an independent voice for patients, service users and their families. It gives patients and members of the public the opportunity to become involved as active partners in UL Hospitals’ Group and advise hospital management on improving patient experience. The council comprises volunteers from the general public as well as members of the hospital management team. It is currently looking to increase the number of public and expressions of interest are sought from people who have had experience of University Hospital Limerick, Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, Croom Orthopaedic Hospital or University Maternity Hospital Limerick. John Hannafin, Chairman of the Patient Council, said that in the course of its ordinary work and through its engagement on a wide range of hospital committees- including nutrition and hydration, the National Inpatient Experience Survey, End-of-Life …

THE deferral of major dental surgery in Ennis Hospital will ultimately lead to greater costs and longer waiting times for public patients, a local Dáil deputy has warned. Deputy Michael McNamara issued this warning after the HSE informed him no general anaesthetic sessions are taking place in Ennis Hospital due to a shortage of appropriately qualified theatre nurses. The Independent Deputy is very disappointed with the lack of progress in relation to this issue, which he also highlighted last December. Like all medical intervention, the Scariff-based Deputy stressed that early intervention is key for all major dental work that requires a general anaesthetic. Deputy McNamara expressed concern some people requiring dental work may be in considerable pain and there is also an adverse impact on their mental wellbeing, if they have any visual dental impairment, which is particularly acute in the case of young people. He urged the HSE to fast track the recruitment process to hire the required number …

The UL Hospitals’ Group has appealed to patients attending the Emergency Department (ED) in University Hospital Limerick to bring medical information that will assist staff while HSE information technology (IT) systems are down following the cyber attack. This includes any document or record such as the patient’s Medical Record Number (MRN) or Patient Chart Number (PCN). This information is usually on a sticker on hospital documentation, or on medications or prescriptions, or any hospital discharge information from a previous time spent in hospital. Services across the Group continue to be adversely impacted by the cyber attack on HSE IT systems. This extends to widespread cancellations in scheduled care across six public hospitals including University Hospital Limerick (UHL), University Maternity Hospital Limerick, Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, St John’s Hospital and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital. All outpatient clinics are cancelled. This includes paediatric outpatient appointments. All elective inpatient and day case procedures are cancelled. This is with the exception of time-critical cases and …

UL Hospitals Group has this afternoon announced widespread cancellations as they continue to be adversely impacted by the ransomware attack on HSE IT systems. Among the cancellations from tomorrow are outpatient clinics and elective inpatient and day case procedures. The statement reads, “We regret that from Tuesday, May 18, widespread cancellations in scheduled care will across our six sites. From Tuesday the following service disruptions are expected across the following hospitals University Hospital Limerick, University Maternity Hospital Limerick, Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, St John’s Hospital and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital. “All outpatient clinics are cancelled. All elective inpatient and day case procedures are cancelled. This is with the exception of time-critical cases and these patients will be called directly in advance. All diagnostics including x-ray, CT scans, MRI appointments and cardiac investigations are cancelled. Endoscopy services are cancelled.” Services that will go ahead include Maternity services including ante-natal clinic, dialysis treatment, Cancer day ward (chemotherapy and radiotherapy), Acute Fracture Unit (UHL) …

    LONG delays are expected for patients attending services across UL Hospitals’  Group this Friday as a result of a serious ransomware attack on HSE information technology systems. Emergency services across hospitals in the region continue to operate today. Patients with an outpatient appointment or a scheduled procedure across the group’s six hospitals are advised to attend for their appointments/procedures unless they are directly contacted by the hospital and advised otherwise. The HSE nationally has taken the precaution of shutting down all information technology systems in order to protect them from this attack and to allow the authority fully assess the situation with their own security partners. The HSE apologise for any inconvenience caused to patients and to the public and will give further information as it becomes available. It is appealing to members of the public to be patient as they switch to manual back-up systems. Emergency services and unscheduled care continue to operate across all sites. This …

A RECRUITMENT process for new staff and the expansion of the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) in Ennis Hospital is underway, according to Deputy Michael McNamara. The Clare Independent TD, who has pressed the HSE and Government on the need to increase services at Ennis Hospital since last year’s election, said a non-consultant hospital doctor and a clerical staff member are already in post, creating an additional four slots at the MAU. “Additional resources in nursing, allied health and general support staff are now at various stages of on an ongoing recruitment process. Once these personnel are in place the HSE will increase the number of weekly slots in the MAU by a further 28 slots,” stated Deputy McNamara. “The expansion provides considerable benefits for the people of Clare while it also will help to alleviate pressure on admissions to University Hospital Limerick, something, which I have repeatedly highlighted during the past year.” “The CEO of the UL Hospitals’ Group has …