Tag Archives: emergency department

THE clinical directors of the UL Hospitals Group have written an open letter to the people of the Mid-West, in which they call for “a great collaborative effort”, to improve services in the region. The standard of service provided to the people of the Mid- West has been under fire in recent weeks, after record-breaking numbers on trolleys were recorded at University Hospital Limerick (UHL). From Monday to Thursday this week, more patients were waiting for a bed at UHL than at any other Irish hospital. The letter states, “In recent years, our main acute hospital, UHL, has experienced serious challenges in providing enough inpatient beds for the acutely-ill patients that have presented to our Emergency Department (ED). These shortages have led to unacceptable numbers of elderly and frail patients waiting for far too long in the ED for a bed in the hospital. “The experience of some of these patients has been very bad. We profoundly regret that this …

UL Hospitals Group is asking the public to “consider all of their care options” before attending the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) this Thursday, while the Injury Unit in Ennis is closed today due to ongoing industrial action. In the 24-hour period up to 8am on on Thursday morning, a total of 261 patients attended the Emergency Department, one of the highest levels ever recorded. “As members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (IMNO) commenced 24 hours of industrial action from 8am, UL Hospitals continue to work with the INMO to secure the safest possible level of nursing and midwifery cover in our hospitals during the period of the strike and contingency arrangements are in place,” the group said in a statement today (Thursday). UL Hospitals Group expects that the Emergency Department will be busy throughout the day. Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s hospitals are also closed on account of today’s industrial action. The Injury Units will reopen …

ATTENDANCES at the Emergency Department at UHL increased in the week ending January 6 and are expected to rise further in the coming weeks. High volumes of elderly patients with medical conditions, in particular respiratory conditions, have been presenting in recent days and the number of flu cases has also begun to rise. There were 1,301 attendances to the ED at UHL between December 24 and December 30 and this rose to 1,343 attendances in the seven-day period December 31 to January 6. The Christmas/New Year period has also proven busy for the Injury Units Ennis, St John’s and Nenagh hospitals. Between December 24 and January 1 there were a total of 790 attendances to the three units combined, an aggregate increase of 6.5%. The numbers attending at Ennis were 245 (-18); at Nenagh 251 (+21) and at St John’s 294 (+45). “The hospital is currently operating at capacity and all available surge capacity is in use. Initiatives introduced under the winter plan  – such as expanding …

Members of the public to consider all their care options before presenting to the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick. The hospital is currently managing high volumes of patients, including a surge in flu cases and significant volumes of frail elderly patients with chronic conditions and complex care needs. The 266 patients who attended the ED on Monday, February 19th was the highest ever recorded for a single day. The pattern has continued all week, averaging at over 200 attendances per day. On Monday, February 12, there were 12 flu cases admitted across the Group. Today (Friday) the number of patients with flu being accommodated across the Group stands at 26. UL Hospitals Group can confirm that at 8am on today, there were 47 admitted patients in the ED at UHL. This included patients who were being accommodated in some of the 49 single rooms/designated bays within the new department. It included, for example, 13 patients who were appropriately isolated …

Strict visitor restrictions are in place at University Hospital Limerick in light of the continuing outbreak of measles in the Limerick City area. Restrictions had already been in place since late December following an increase in seasonal influenza. However, the restrictions will remain enforced as a precaution in view of the ongoing outbreak of measles in the Limerick City area. There are currently a small number of patients with measles in isolation at UHL and the hospital is taking all necessary precautions to contain the illness. UL Hospitals Group is working closely with public health and community colleagues on the Outbreak Control Team set up to manage this outbreak. Until further notice, it is necessary to restrict visitors to one person per patient only and to remind members of the public that visiting hours are from 2pm to 4pm and from 6pm to 9pm only and are to be strictly adhered to. This applies to adult and paediatric patients alike …

The lack of capacity at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) came into focus this week, after it emerged there was no bed to accommodate an Ennis patient in a wheelchair. Councillor Ann Norton has confirmed that there was no bed available to accommodate her daughter, Nicole, who suffers from Cerebal Palsy and a number of other medical conditions, when she attended the new Emergency Department (ED) on Thursday last. With 51 patients on trolleys in the new €24 million state-of-the-art ED at UHL on Tuesday morning, councillors from Clare and Limerick tabled numerous related motions about overcrowding and bed capacity at UHL at a HSE West Forum meeting later that afternoon. In recent days, the UL Hospitals Group outlined that activity has been very high, with 186 attendances in the 24 hours up to midnight on Sunday, September 24; 244 attendances in the 24 hours up to midnight on Monday, September 25 and 214 attendances in the 24 hours up to …

IRELAND’S largest and most advanced emergency department has opened today (Monday) at University Hospital Limerick. A €24 million project spans 3,850 square metres of floor space, over three times the size of the old department. In 2016, UHL had the busiest emergency department in the country, with over 64,000 attendances. Almost 100 additional staff have been recruited to work in the emergency department, which has increased capacity for patients and has been designed with the input of senior clinicians to improve patient flow, reduce patient experience times (PET) and improve outcomes for the sickest patients. The new emergency department features the most advanced diagnostic equipment of any such facility in Ireland or the UK, including a c. €1 million, 128-slice CT scanner which is mounted on a track to minimise the movement of the sickest patients in resuscitation. The facility is separated into different pods and zones, allowing for paediatric patients, major cases, minor cases etc to be treated separately, …

AFTER taking to the streets in protest a few weeks ago, members of the Friends of Ennis Hospital Action Group have now launched an online petition to have Ennis upgraded to a model three hospital, which includes a 24-hour emergency department with relevent consultants. Members of the group expect to not only generate public support for the petition but that public representatives of all political persuasions will row in behind their campaign. The action group is adamant that the time has arrived for a change in the status of Ennis Hospital. “It is well established that there is not the political will in some quarters to re-establish the A&E in Ennis as a standalone project. Phrases such as ‘centre of excellence’ and ‘best medical practice’ are used to justify the downgrading and eventual closure of the emergency department in Ennis. “The public, in general, have become disillusioned with the political system. Having marched on numerous occasions in the ’80s and …