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Tag Archives: Noeleen Moran

Clare people urged to join UHL protest march this Saturday

CLARE people have been urged to attend a protest march in Limerick to highlight the impact of persistent overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on January 21. Noeleen Moran of the Mid West Hospital Campaign has requested Clare sporting organisations, community groups and individuals to attend this demonstration, which starts at Merchant’s Quay at 11am. “We need a strong Clare presence at this march to get our message across that 24-hour casualty cover needs to be returned to Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals.” She believes the recent HSE acknowledgement about the danger posed by overcrowding is a direct result of the work of campaigners such as Marie McMahon from Ennistymon among others. “For 82 patients that are left on a trolley for six to eight hours, there is at least one fatality. This increases with the number of hours patients are left waiting. There were at least 77 days when there were more than 82 patients on trolleys in UHL in …

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‘Dangerous conditions’ for staff and patients in UHL ED

SIGNIFICANT reductions in elective surgery and outpatient diagnostics will continue in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) over the next month after record high Emergency Department attendances resulted in “dangerous conditions” for patient and staff safety. The UL Hospitals’ Group has admitted planned reductions in scheduled care will continue over the Christmas and New Year period as the group concentrate on inpatients as well as emergency and time-critical care after the busiest weekend ever recorded in the hospital. Responding to Clare Champion queries about the impact of the unprecedented demand on public hospital services, the group outlined work in their operating theatres will be focused on emergency and trauma patients until January 16. It also warned anyone attending the ED with a less than urgent condition is going to face an “exceptionally long wait for treatment” as UHL struggled to cope with 92 patients on trolleys on Monday, 94 on Tuesday and 88 on Wednesday. The INMO has confirmed UHL is the …

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Clare family counting cost of pursuing education through Irish

A MILTOWN mum-of-six is facing a bill of €200 per month so that her children can avail of their entitlement to be educated through the medium of Irish.  Erica Burke has been making intensive efforts, over the last 18 months, to secure school bus transport from the family home in Miltown to Gaelcholáiste an Chláir in Ennis, the county’s sole provider of secondary education through Irish.  The school is highly supportive of the family and has made every effort to accommodate the two children attending. Due to the schedule of public transport, the children, who are in first and second year, are unavoidably late, by at least half an hour every day. That has resulted in them losing out on what Principal Brian O’Donoghue estimates is four full school days to-date, through no fault of their own or their family. Mr O’Donoghue noted that the Gaelcholáiste is the county provider of secondary school education through Irish and “absolutely thrilled” to …

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Campaigners: Upgraded Ennis could take elective load off UHL

A NEW petition containing 15,000 signatures supporting the upgrading of acute hospitals in the Mid-West including Ennis Hospital is prompting correspondence between a local lobby group, the UL Hospitals’ Group and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly. A petition submitted by the Mid West Hospital Campaign has been discussed by the Dáil Petition Committee, which sent their proposal to the UL Hospitals’ Group for its views. The Hospital Campaign’s response to the Hospitals’ Group submission is being sent to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and the UHL management by the Dáil Secretariat. The Petition Committee meets fortnightly and will discuss any response the Hospital Campaign’s receives if it is made within the next 14 days. Noeleen Moran of the Mid-West Hospital Campaign said if Ennis Hospital was upgraded with proper investment, it could open a surgical observation unit and it could perform elective procedures. “If Ennis was upgraded to a Model Three facility, it could do elective procedures and have a functioning emergency …

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Mid-West patient waiting times ‘a national disgrace’

The fact that almost 58,000 people are now waiting for care across hospitals in the Mid-West has been condemned as a “national disgrace” by a local lobby group. The Mid-West Hospital Campaign (MWHC) has claimed removing 24-hour casualty cover from Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals in April 2009 has resulted in 58,774 people waiting for public hospital inpatient/day treatment, GI endoscopies or an outpatient appointment with a consultant throughout the region. New figures released by the HSE confirm that one in every three (33%) approved permanent Hospital Consultant posts in the UL Hospitals’ Group are either vacant or filled on a temporary or agency basis – an all-time high 68 out of 206 approved Consultant posts3 – an increase of 16 posts not filled as needed since November 2020. Outpatient waiting lists at hospitals in the Mid-West region have almost doubled, with a 94% hike since 2015. The number of ‘long waiters’ on the list to be assessed by a consultant …

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Health campaigners: Ennis is the right place, now is the right time

MEMBERS of the regional health forum for the Midwest are being urged to make the case for the restoration of services at Ennis General, when they meet senior hospital officials next week.  In a statement, the Midwest Hospital Campaign, Clare, outlined that a meeting is to take place next Tuesday (July 19) between the management of University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and forum members representing Clare, Limerick and Tipperary. It follows a unanimous call for the restoration of Emergency Department (ED) services in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s in Limerick, at the May meeting of the HSE West Regional Health Forum. The request for a follow-up meeting was made by Clare Green Councillor Liam Grant and Tipperary Independent Councillor Séamie Morris. “The Midwest Hospital Campaign Clare calls on all members of the forum to use this opportunity to advance the case to upgrade Ennis Hospital, to a model 3, which would mean the return of  24/7 Emergency Department to the county,” …

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‘Enough is enough’ – reverse A&E closures, campaigners demand

UP to 15,000 people marched in Ennis in November 2003 to oppose the proposed downgrading of Ennis Hospital, which was recommended in the controversial Hanly Report. Last Saturday, a paltry figure of about 70 people turned up to listen to members of the Mid-West Hospital Campaign present a case for the return of a fully functioning Accident and Emergency Department to Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals. A lot of public representatives also decided to stay away. The attendance included Deputy Cathal Crowe, Deputy Joe Carey, Senator Timmy Dooley, Councillor Mark Nestor and Councillor Donna McGettigan. Despite the poor turnout, one of the main organisers, Noeleen Moran, was satisfied with the attendance when questioned by the Clare Champion. “We are getting this campaign up and running after two years of lockdown. It is not an easy thing to encourage people to be in crowds after Covid-19 but we are satisfied with the turnout today. “We only spent two weeks advertising this protest. …

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Protests in Clare and Limerick over poor state of health services

PROTESTS are being planned to highlight the state of local health services, particularly the situation at the region’s main hospital where the number being treated on trolleys frequently exceeds 100 people daily. The Mid-West Hospital campaign is organising a day of action starting at the former Debenhams store in Limerick this Saturday at 1pm. The following Saturday, May 21, at 2pm there will be a protest at the Square in Ennis. A former election candidate for Sinn Féin, Noeleen Moran said the Mid-West Hospital campaign is not aligned with any party, and wants to get support from across the community. “It goes back to 2019, we had the first public meeting in the Old Ground. There’s a mixture of people from all political parties and none, and trade unions are supporting it too. “It started because of the level of overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick, there was a need to do something. “Marie McMahon was one of the founding members, …

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