Tag Archives: HSE

THE HSE has this evening written to Hospital Groups and Community Healthcare Organisations to advise that all AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccination Clinics planned for tomorrow, Tuesday, April 13, should be cancelled in light of updated guidance received from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, and the Department of Health, this evening. This means all vaccinations scheduled for the Radisson Blu Hotel tomorrow are deferred and a further update will be issued. Those scheduled for vaccination tomorrow are being contacted directly to rearrange their appointment. Anybody due to attend an AstraZeneca clinic is advised not to do so. Following full consideration of the updated guidance, the HSE will advise further in terms of wider implications for the administration of the vaccination programme.

A RECRUITMENT process for new staff and the expansion of the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) in Ennis Hospital is underway, according to Deputy Michael McNamara. The Clare Independent TD, who has pressed the HSE and Government on the need to increase services at Ennis Hospital since last year’s election, said a non-consultant hospital doctor and a clerical staff member are already in post, creating an additional four slots at the MAU. “Additional resources in nursing, allied health and general support staff are now at various stages of on an ongoing recruitment process. Once these personnel are in place the HSE will increase the number of weekly slots in the MAU by a further 28 slots,” stated Deputy McNamara. “The expansion provides considerable benefits for the people of Clare while it also will help to alleviate pressure on admissions to University Hospital Limerick, something, which I have repeatedly highlighted during the past year.” “The CEO of the UL Hospitals’ Group has …

QUIN based health advocate, John Wall has called the use of surplus Covid-19 vaccines for Clare and Limerick Gardaí as, “another shocking abuse of trust,” and said he is “fuming” over the  revelation on Thursday that approximately 100 members of the force on ‘standby lists’ received surplus vaccines at the Limerick vaccination centre in the Radisson Blu Hotel in Meelick.  Mr Wall went on to say this decision was, “yet another shocking abuse of trust we have placed in others to administer the vaccine rollout and a blatant disregard for the medically vulnerable many of whom remain unvaccinated. This is really hard to take.” He was critical of what the UL Hospitals Group said they considered to be an “appropriate” decision. “The same hospital that made me fight to get a vaccine, were at the very same time doing this. There are tens of thousands of medically vulnerable people begging to be vaccinated. The mismanagement of our rollout programme is …

A QUIN man, who has terminal cancer, is to receive his Covid-19 vaccination on Friday and has urged the government do all it can to avoid any repeat of the Beacon Hospital row. John Wall spoke out on the national airwaves over the weekend, following revelations that left-over vaccine doses were administered by the private hospital to some of the staff of a fee-paying school in Wicklow. “I didn’t expect the item to get the time or traction that it did on the Saturday show with Katie Hannon,” said Mr Wall who has stage four prostate cancer. “To be able to put questions and react to the comments of a junior minister was a real, real bonus in terms of highlighting the frustration and anger of those who in Cohort 4 and in 4A, who are really seriously ill, and who cannot get clarity on when or where they will get a vaccine.” Mr Wall said the Beacon story left …

THE HSE has confirmed a review has been commissioned into the provision of a new Primary Health Care Centre in Kilrush. Following a public announcement two years ago concerning this development, Councillor Cillian Murphy asked the HSE to provide information on the phase in the current process, a timeline for its completion and opening and an indicative list of proposed services and opening times Councillor Murphy asked at a recent HSE West Forum meeting whether services in the new health centre will be included that will reduce the amount of non-urgent calls the ambulance service usually deals with. The Fianna Fáil Councillor asked if a review of this project had actually started and when could he expect the completion of a report on the centre. He expressed concern that the HSE will make a decision on progressing the centre after the review as this could result in two possible outcomes: one, where the centre would not proceed or, two when …

AS the number of Covid-19 cases in Clare climbs to a total of almost 4,500, the Mid-West Public Health Department has warned single cases of the B117 strain have resulted in whole household outbreaks. While the 14-day incidence of the virus in the Banner has fallen from 322% last week to 144% this week, the HSE is expressing concern about a pattern of household clusters. A HSE spokesman warned the new variant seems to be more transmissible with higher numbers of infections from each new case. The 14-day incidence in Clare is now the fourth lowest in the country just above Tipperary, which stands at 147% and much lower than Limerick’s 252%. According to figures produced by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, there were 172 new cases of Covid-19 in Clare, 492 in Limerick and 225 in Tipperary from Februar 2 to February 15. The five-day moving average from January 19 to February 11 to February 15 is 36 in …

ON this National No Smoking Day County Clare is launching a ‘Not Around Us’ campaign. The initiative is being led by Clare County Council’s Healthy Clare team in partnership with a range of stakeholders including the HSE’s QUIT-Mid-West team, Clare Comhairle na nÓg, Clare Children and Young People’s Services Committee, Clare Youth Services, Clare Sports Partnership, Greener Clare and Healthy Ireland. “Not Around Us” is another step Towards a Tobacco and Vape Free Clare by promoting environments where it is easier for those who smoke to quit and stay quit and to help de-normalise smoking for the next generation. The campaign is in response to the government’s national target for a less than 5% smoking prevalence in Ireland by 2025. It is about supporting Chapter 7 of the Tobacco Free Ireland policy – denormalisation of smoking and protection of children and young people. The purpose of Not Around Us is to: • Help protect children and young people from second-hand smoke exposure. • Contribute to the denormalisation of …

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 …