Tag Archives: HSE

THE Lions Club of Ennis are roaring in behind efforts to provide hundreds of thousands of face shields for frontline health workers throughout Ireland. Lions Clubs have pledged to raise up to €100,000 nationally to fund 200,000 ‘Hero Shield’ face visors which will be distributed free of charge to front line health workers throughout Ireland. Michael Neylon, president of Lions Club of Ennis has confirmed that the club will be getting involved with campaign, along with working to help local families in need as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Michael explains that all clubs in the district were contacted about the project and after remote consultation with members the Lions Club of Ennis will be making a donation. “At local level we have a few members engaging with vulnerable families who are in particular need during this Covid-19 crisis. We have also offered our services to the Clare County council Community Response group.” The project, led by James O’Sullivan …

Seven more Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Clare, bringing the number of positive cases so far to 113. Thirty eight more people diagnosed with the virus have died bringing the total number of deaths in Ireland to 444. Of the latest deaths, 29 occurred in the east of the country, six in the west and three in the south. The median age of today’s reported deaths is 84 and 28 people were reported as having underlying health conditions. An additional 1,068 new cases were diagnosed as of 1pm today with 657 new confirmed cases reported by Irish laboratories and 411 by a laboratory in Germany. With the latest figures from Germany included, there are now a total of 12,547 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland. The HSE is working to identify any contacts the patients may have had to provide them with information and advice to prevent further spread. Today’s data from the HPSC, as of midnight, Monday April 13 …

A NEW Clinical Assessment Unit is expected be set up in Shannon Health Centre on Monday, April 13  for Clare patients who are confirmed as Covid-19 positive. As part of the HSE system wide response to Covid 19, this unit will provided a face-to-face clinical assessment for patients following a GP referral. The aim of the units is to divert mildly symptomatic patients who require medical assessment away from the acute hospital system by providing a facility in the community in which the patient can be seen, and clinically assessed by a team of nurses, doctors and physiotherapists. The unit will provide service Monday to Sunday by appointment only from 07.30 to 20.30. According to the HSE’s COVID-19 Community Assessment Hubs Operational Model, which has been obtained by the Clare Champion, the outcome of the assessment will inform clinical decisions regarding the most appropriate level of care for each patient in the most appropriate environment. Consequently, this will not be …

NURSING home operators in Clare have spoken of their fears after a dramatic rise in the number of Covid-19 clusters in such settings nationally. Some have revealed that they have had to introduce infection control procedures and cover the rising cost of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) themselves, while waiting for the recently-announced government supports to come on stream. Figures published on Wednesday by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) showed a total of 86 clusters at nursing homes across the country. The data, which was collected up to midnight on Sunday, shows three of these are in the Midwest and ten in the West, with the majority in the East of the country. “Clearly, nursing homes look after very immunocompromised people,” said Dr Billy O’Connell of Miltown Malbay. “An outbreak of Covid-19 could have terrible consequences.” While he welcomed the new Department of Health fund for PPE, training, advice and staff-testing, as well as the support of Health Information and …

A collaboration between University of Limerick and UL Hospitals Group has seen the design and capacity created to manufacture 100,000 face visors for HSE front-line staff. The Rapid Innovation Unit at UL, an SFI Confirm Centre funded 3D printing activity that works in collaboration with University Hospital Limerick, mobilised a team to innovate immediate solutions in response to the COVID 19 crisis. The unit has previous experience in rapid design and 3D printing of medical devices in response to clinical requests. Following a request from Professor Paul Burke, Chief Academic Officer at UL Hospitals Group and Vice Dean of Health Sciences at UL, academics and clinicians at the Rapid Innovation Unit at UL worked to design and manufacture novel solutions where doctors had identified potential shortages of equipment should COVID-19 cases surge. In less than two weeks, the team designed solutions to three critical clinical challenges facing clinicians due to the pandemic. These include capacity to manufacture 100,000 face visors …

A QATAR Airways Boeing 777 cargo plane carrying vital medical equipment from China landed at Shannon Airport on Thursday afternoon (April 2). The plane touched down at Shannon at 4.25pm. Among the medical equipment on board were ICU ventilators and hospital beds for distribution to hospitals around Ireland in the fight against COVID-19. Qatar Airways is one of the world’s largest cargo operators and has an extensive network of more than 160 destinations using both freighters and passenger flights. The airline resumed flights to China on 30th March to support the global supply chain, which includes the transportation of urgent medical relief aid essential to the global fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Commenting on the flight Mary Considine, CEO Shannon Group, which operates Shannon Airport said: “We were delighted to facilitate the arrival of this much welcomed consignment of medical supplies. As an essential service our airport remains open to facilitate cargo and repatriation flights at this unprecedented time.”  

HUNDREDS of frontline healthworkers are set to enjoy a night’s stay in Ennis following an “unbelievable response” to a local hotel’s ‘thank you’ to those leading the fight against Covid-19. Hotel Woodstock is one of five hotels as part of the Choice Hotel Group to donate a total of 1,800 free overnight stays to HSE healthcare workers in the frontline. Sean Lally owner / director of Hotel Woodstock explains that the Ennis hotel is providing approximately 360 rooms to the effort “to express our deep gratitude”. Just days after the hotel group made the announcement, the hotels were fully subscribed with Mr Lally saying “there has been an unbelievable response”. “There has been a huge reaction to this, we’ve had hundreds and hundreds of shares across social media. This is just a small way for us to give something back to those on the frontline. What they are doing for us can never fully be repaid, this is just a …

UL Hospitals Group and HSE Mid West Community Healthcare have said they are working closely with Public Health colleagues in tracing contacts of confirmed cases of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus). A new helpline with the number 1890 300046 has been launched today to provide information and support to the public in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary who are considered a casual contact or close contact of confirmed cases in the Mid West. It will be open each day from 10am to 5pm. The information and advisory team has been established as a local point of contact. The National HSE Live helpline number is 1850 24 1850. All general queries should be directed to the national helpline number. A HSE statement this afternoon said, “The people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus infection have been interviewed in depth by the Department of Public Health and their contacts who are at risk of infection have been identified. This is contact tracing. During the …