Tag Archives: health

AN Ennis doctor who helped save the life of a hurling fan after he collapsed in a busy Dublin train station has modestly told us, “I think there was a lot of luck involved and I was in the right place at the right time.” Dr Carly Lewis, who is originally from the Tulla Road in Ennis, sprang into action and performed CPR on the man who is in his 70s after discovering he had no pulse. Fortunately he is now doing well, and following the experience Dr Lewis is appealing to the public to get Basic Life Support training saying, “The more people who are trained, the better the outcomes all round”. Dr Lewis was in the Drumcondra train station with her sister having come from watching Clare play Kilkenny in the All Ireland semi-finals in Croke Park when the emergency situation unfolded. She recalls they were about to get on the train when she noticed a commotion on …

UL Hospitals Group and HSE Mid West Community Healthcare have asked the public in the region to know their available healthcare options ahead of the forthcoming Bank Holiday Weekend. With the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick open for emergency care, and treatment available for less acute conditions in the Injury Units and Medical Assessment Units at the region’s Model 2 hospitals, ULHG and Mid West Community Healthcare (MWCH) have rostered additional staff to ensure patient flow and access is maximised across the long weekend. Over the coming days, standard acute hospital care pathways at the ED and injury units will be supported by an expansion of Community Intervention Team services to run 8am-8pm over the weekend, to ensure timely access through GP out-of-hours referral and improve hospital avoidance, and maximise discharges and transfers. An additional complement of triage staff will support UL Hospitals Group efforts to reduce time between presentation and discharge or the decision to admit. Additional staff …

THE standard of public health care in the Mid-West was brought into focus again last week, as the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation reported 126 patients being treated on trolleys on a single day at University Hospital Limerick. It claimed that this was the largest number seen at any Irish hospital since the INMO began keeping track in 2006. In a statement it said that the Limerick figure was more than 28% of the total number of patients on trolleys across the country. The INMO Assistant Director of Industrial Relations, Mary Fogarty said, “The fact that we are seeing a record number of patients on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick on April 21 means that the bed management system is completely broken.” She claimed that the situation was taking a toll on staff. “INMO members in University Hospital Limerick are reporting significant work-related stress due to the persistent overcrowding and inability of provide appropriate care to all admitted patients. They …

THE Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is closely monitoring the overcrowding situation at UHL, a Clare TD has been assured. Following a request from Deputy Michael McNamara for an inquiry into the ongoing overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has written to him and said the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) are looking at the situation. In a letter to Mr McNamara the Minister said, “With regard to your suggestion of an inquiry, HIQA has advised that they are closely monitoring the overcrowding situation in a number of hospitals including at Limerick over the last number of weeks. “With respect to Limerick in particular – HIQA has also been in recent correspondence with the Hospital Group CEO to seek further information and assurances from them relating to their evaluation of the current factors influencing crowding in the emergency department. “The resultant evaluation which HIQA received is very comprehensive and strongly highlights the Hospital Group’s view …

HEALTH Minister Stephen Donnelly has announced an update to the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme. In light of the increasing prevalence of the Delta variant and the risks associated with it, the National Immunisation Advisroy Committee have recommended that those aged 18-49 years can opt for an adenoviral vector vaccine (AstraZeneca and Janssen) in order to gain earlier protection. Younger age-groups who do not wish to receive an adenoviral vaccine will be offered an mRNA vaccination in due course. Consent mechanisms will be put in place by the HSE to ensure that anyone under 35 years of age wishing to avail of earlier access to vaccination through the administration of an AstraZeneca or Janssen vaccine is appropriately informed of the rare side-effects associated with the adenoviral vector vaccines. People in this group will also be advised about the probable timing of the availability of mRNA vaccine for their age group when considering this accelerated option. People in Ireland aged 18 – 34 …

THE estimated 1,800 people living with heart failure in Clare are being urged to embrace a wide range of supports to help them manage the chronic condition. The Irish Heart Foundation is at the centre of a national drive to provide vital back-up to patients who need help coping with the illness. “People often feel shock, trauma and isolation after a diagnosis of heart failure, but with the right supports, it is manageable,” said Lucinda McNerney, the Irish Heart Foundation’s Heart Failure Programme Manager. “We want to let these patients in Clare know that we are with them on that journey, in terms of counselling, online meetings, a Nurse Support Line, exercise classes, newsletters, a podcast series and peer-to-peer support to help them to keep well, both physically and mentally. “We have patients in our network aged 30 and above, whose daily lives have changed – their work status, having to take medication, dealing with lower energy. All this can …

CLARE will provide a “blueprint” for the rollout of Lympoedema Specialist Clinics across the country with the first service of its kind in primary care being piloted in Ennis. The Lymphoedema Specialist Clinic in Clare is opening to support and manage people with this progressive, disabling chronic condition. Lymphoedema is a chronic long-term condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissue. This can lead to pain and a loss of mobility. Lymphoedema can severely impact quality of life and lead to complications if not diagnosed early and managed correctly. The new clinic, opening on May 10, will bring together a nurse, physiotherapist and a therapy assistant to offer lymphoedema assessments, treatment and supported self-care. The clinic will also provide treatment for lipoedema which requires similar management to lymphoedema. The service will be accessible for people in the county of Clare, population 118,800, where there is a potential 308 lymphoedema patients. Children and young people with lymphoedema will also be seen …

THE HSE has confirmed it is considering proposals to expand the level of services delivered from Tier 2 hospitals including Ennis General. This comes as the combination of overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick and the Covid-19 pandemic has been described as “a catastrophe waiting to happen” by chair of the special Oireachtas Covid-19 committee Deputy Michael McNamara. Liam Woods, HSE national director of acute operations appeared before the committee where Deputy McNamara asked about the potential for increasing services at Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s in Limerick. Deputy McNamara outlined that, “Limerick consistently has the highest numbers of people on trolleys”. Mr Woods acknowledged that there has “been a demand and supply mismatch”, and that a number of developments have been directed at growing and improving capacity. He continued, “Hospital beds are not the solution in isolation in the health environment. In fact, excess focus on hospital beds as against community investment will lead to an ineffective situation. From our …