‘Reverse’ Ennis emergency department 24-hour closure

A LIMERICK City councillor has requested the Health Service Executive to reconsider extending the opening hours of the emergency departments in Ennis and Nenagh hospitals.

 

The HSE decided to close the casualty departments in Ennis and Nenagh between 8pm and 8am in April 2009 under the controversial reconfiguration of acute hospital services in the Mid-West, despite a storm of protest from local hospital campaigners.

Labour Councillor Joe Leddin effectively requested the regional health authority to reverse the ending of 24-hour accident and emergency services at a HSE Forum West meeting on Tuesday.

He asked the HSE to reconsider the opening times of the casualty departments in Nenagh and Ennis to relieve the pressure on the Emergency Department at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick.

Describing scenes at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick on Tuesday last week as “chaotic”, he stressed some short term measure was necessary to relieve overcrowding in Limerick.

However, Mid-Western Regional Hospital Group chief executive officer, Ann Doherty stated the National Clinical Programme for emergency medicine has indicated that the emergency departments in Ennis and Nenagh will be local injury units dealing with a list of very specific conditions.

“The emergency department in Limerick provides an emergency service in the region for patients who are very unwell and may potentially need critical care.

“Increasing the opening hours in Ennis and Nenagh would not help Limerick as the range of back up services are not available in these hospitals such as trauma, surgery, intensive care unit, high dependency unit and critical care unit,” she said.

She pointed out it was important to get the acute medical assessment unit in St Joseph’s Hospital, Limerick, Nenagh and Ennis Hospitals up and running and needed to work with health colleagues in primary care.

She explained that it was necessary to work more closely with GPs in terms of hospital admissions, as the default position was to refer a patient to the emergency department.

However, she admitted that the current Emergency Department in Limerick was not fit for purpose. She confirmed work had started on the construction of a new emergency department near the existing building, which would take about two years to fully complete.