Tag Archives: Ennis Hospital

THE first Clare patients will be treated in the new Outpatients’ Department (OPD) for Ennis Hospital from today (Monday). With a total floor space of 1,300 square metres, the new OPD in Ennis has 15 clinical rooms, in addition to a phlebotomy bay, four waiting areas, offices and staff changing rooms. The new department, which has an equipping allocation of €900,000 for 2021, will allow for the relocation of services such as cardiac rehabilitation and, later this year, radiology and general x-ray. All activity in the OPD is scheduled and operates on an appointment-only basis. Situated at Westpoint Retail Park on the Kilrush Road, the new department will initially house the services currently based in Ennis Hospital, and also allow for the expansion of outpatient services into the future and a better patient experience. Greater capacity, in addition to facilities that are future-proofed with ongoing advances in telehealth, will assist with efforts to reduce waiting periods and manage waiting lists. …

A REDUCTION in sports related activities due to Covid-19 restrictions has been cited as one of the main contributor factors to a dramatic 17.3% decrease in attendances at the Local Injury Unit (LIU) in Ennis Hospital last year. The LIU, which treats minor injuries for Clare people seven days a week from 8am to 8pm, processed 9,537 attendances during 2020. This was a 17.3% decrease on the previous year due to the impact of Covid-19 social restrictions. One of the new developments last year was the attendance of some patients from outside the hospital’s catchment area in places bordering Clare such as Gort in South Galway. In addition to free plentiful parking, high standards and efficiency of the service, Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Brenda Bleach says there is a lot to recommend the unit if you have a minor injury that requires rapid treatment. Despite the drop last year, Brenda and her colleagues remain busy due to the variety and …

THE UL Hospitals’ Group has defended its management of administering vaccines against Covid-19 following concern over the disparity in distribution among hospital groups. Senator Martin Conway said certain questions remained unanswered in view of statements made by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on this issue. He said it looks as if the national vaccination group approached all the hospital groups and asked them how many they needed to vaccinate and the micro management of the roll out was managed by the individual hospital group. “Why did Ennis Hospital receive vaccines initially and Nenagh Hospital didn’t? Why didn’t the mental health nurses get it? “How did the South West Hospital Group administer 19,000 and the UL Hospitals’ Group only 3,400 in the same period of time? “The group needs to supply details how many vaccines it requested in the first round and outline in chronological order step by step what engagement they had with the national immunisation task force and what number …

DAVID Crowe, a porter at Ennis Hospital, became the first Clare resident to be vaccinated at Ennis Hospital as part of the Covid-19 vaccination programme. The arrival of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in the Clare capital town on Wednesday has been welcomed by frontline healthcare workers, who have been challenged as never before throughout the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The first healthcare worker at the hospital to be vaccinated was Dr Mary Kennedy of the Medical Assessment Unit, who received her vaccine from staff nurse, Caroline Mulligan. Dr Kennedy said: “This is a day we have all been waiting for in Ennis Hospital and the arrival of these vaccines gives us all hope that an end is in sight.” The first batch of vaccines was delivered to Ennis Hospital on Wednesday morning, and it is planned initially to administer 50 doses per day to healthcare staff. For those who received vaccinations today, a second vaccination is required after a three-week period. This …

THE “catastrophic” impact of Covid-19 on Mid-West health services came sharply into focus this week with confirmation the number of public inpatients waiting for treatment has soared by almost 40%. New figures published by the National Purchase Treatment Fund have revealed the number of public inpatients waiting for treatment jumped by almost 40% from 4,798 on January 30 to 6,676 on October 30. This includes 2,266 inpatients waiting for treatment at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and 621 in Ennis Hospital. The numbers on the outpatient list also grew by 16% from 47,184 in January to 54,759 in October. There are 42,777 outpatients in UHL, 7,235 in Croom, 2,026 in Ennis, 1,296 in Nenagh and 1,425 in St John’s Hospital waiting for treatment. Deputy Michael McNamara described the increase as “alarming but not surprising” in view of the cancellation of elective surgery. “I raised the issue of health services with the HSE and with former Health Minister Simon Harris in the …

  OUTPATIENT and elective surgery will resume at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and Ennis Hospital next Tuesday, the UL Hospitals’ Group announced on Friday. The group explained the cancellation of surgery was necessary for patient and staff safety while both hospitals have been managing a number of outbreaks of Covid-19. During this time, six wards in UHL were closed to admissions. In addition, some 221 staff across the group were off work and self-isolating due to Covid-19. Meanwhile, the Outbreak Control Teams established in both locations has continued to work closely with public health and occupational health colleagues, in accordance with HPSC guidance, to contain the virus and protect all the patients and staff in our hospitals. Contact tracing and testing of staff has been ongoing, and all appropriate infection control measures have been implemented to mitigate the risk. On Friday, the Group’s Hospital Crisis Management Team decided to extend the service curtailments at UHL and Ennis for just one …

ALL routine outpatient appointments and the majority of elective procedures scheduled for this Thursday and Friday have been cancelled in University Hospital Limerick and Ennis Hospital, as both hospitals manage active outbreaks of Covid-19. Significant numbers of staff are currently off work and self-isolating having either tested positive for Covid-19 or been designated as close contact. Outbreak control teams established in both locations are working closely with public health and occupational health colleagues and all the relevant HPSC guidance is being followed as we work to contain the virus and to protect patients and staff. Contact tracing and testing of staff and patients is continuing and the group are putting into effect all the appropriate infection control measures to mitigate the risk. The UL Hospitals’ Group has experienced considerable staffing challenges in recent days and just under 50 patients had their procedures cancelled on Monday, November 9th. The Group’s Hospital Crisis Management Team took the difficult decision on Wednesday to …

An outbreak control team has been established after a number of Covid-19 cases were confirmed in patients and staff on a ward at Ennis Hospital on Thursday. An outbreak in a healthcare setting is called when there is a minimum of two positive contacts. In accordance with HPSC guidelines, an Outbreak Control Team has now been convened in Ennis Hospital and continues to work with Public Health and Occupational Health to manage the response. Testing and contact tracing of patients and staff is underway and the hospital are now, in line with the national guidance, putting into effect all the appropriate infection control measures to mitigate the risk to patients and staff. Covid-19  testing and contact tracing of both staff and patients is undertaken to ensure the protection of public health. Hospital preparedness plans are developed to support continuity of services and guide senior management to identify the level of impact on service and staff. The UL Hospitals’ Group has …