Tag Archives: HSE

CONCERN about the lack of a definitive starting date for the proposed Primary Health Centre in Kilrush has been expressed by a local Dáil deputy. Sinn Féin TD Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne is calling for more concrete commitment and action to be taken to ensure community health care services continue across rural Clare. The Sinn Féin deputy’s comments came following a vague and non-committal response from the Department of Health concerning the development of the promised Primary Health Centre in Kilrush two years after it was officially announced. “The fact that this new Primary Health Centre was announced in March of 2019, but the HSE are still effectively refusing to commit to any concrete action or development two years down the line is unacceptable,” said Deputy Wynne. “We all know that various developmental projects have been stalled as a result of the pandemic but the HSE’s response to any questions seeking clarification about projected timeline are unnecessarily vague and seem to …

THE Mid-West Major Emergency Management Group is asking people in Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary to enjoy the Bank Holiday Weekend safely and responsibly to halt the spread of COVID-19 in the community. In the two weeks leading up to June 2, there has been an increase of more than 800 cases in Limerick, 48 cases in Clare, and 32 cases in North Tipperary. While COVID-19 situation remains stable in Clare and North Tipperary, weekends and occasions with increased activity have led to significant increases in infection levels due to intensified social mixing and organised social gatherings. The vast majority of new COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks have been associated with indoor gatherings, house parties, household visits, family gatherings, and largely indoor activity. With the current high incidence rate in the Mid-West, indoor gatherings outside Public Health guidelines are considered high-risk and have had significant knock-on effects in the community, including in workplaces and schools. As Leaving Certificate …

THE deferral of major dental surgery in Ennis Hospital will ultimately lead to greater costs and longer waiting times for public patients, a local Dáil deputy has warned. Deputy Michael McNamara issued this warning after the HSE informed him no general anaesthetic sessions are taking place in Ennis Hospital due to a shortage of appropriately qualified theatre nurses. The Independent Deputy is very disappointed with the lack of progress in relation to this issue, which he also highlighted last December. Like all medical intervention, the Scariff-based Deputy stressed that early intervention is key for all major dental work that requires a general anaesthetic. Deputy McNamara expressed concern some people requiring dental work may be in considerable pain and there is also an adverse impact on their mental wellbeing, if they have any visual dental impairment, which is particularly acute in the case of young people. He urged the HSE to fast track the recruitment process to hire the required number …

Impact of cyber attack ‘bigger than Covid-19’ PUBLIC health services in Clare and the Mid-West will be impacted for a number of weeks while HSE information technology staff work around the clock dealing with the havoc wreaked by the cyber attack. UL Hospitals’ Group, chief clinical director, Professor Brian Lenehan has stated even when all information technology systems are safe and operational, staff will still be taken up dealing with the backlog that has to be inputted into their system. It is expected the impact of this cyber attack will continue to disrupt public health services over the coming weeks. Professor Lenehan has revealed the impact of the cyber attack is much bigger than Covid-19, because it had adversely affected their information systems throughout the public health service. He recalled that Covid-19 placed a focus on managing critical care and treating very sick patients, but it wasn’t as widespread as what has transpired since the cyber attack. While urgent and …

IRISH Water has confirmed that it is working with Clare County Council to carry out repairs to two rising main bursts that may result in a wastewater discharge at Kilkee beach. Crews are working to repair the bursts as quickly and as safely as possible in adherence with current HSE and government Covid-19 advice. Tankers are on-site collecting wastewater to minimise any impact and discharges to the stream which leads to the beach. As a result of this incident, Clare County Council, in consultation with the HSE, has placed a bathing prohibition notice at Kilkee beach. It is likely that this notice will remain in place for a number of days pending the repairs of the wastewater and stormwater rising mains and the results of sampling of the bathing waters early next week, at which point the notice may be lifted. Updates will be available from www.beaches.ie. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other relevant stakeholders have been notified and …

CLARE County Council, on the advice of the HSE, has placed a prohibition on swimming in Kilkee due to a malfunction of Irish Water sewage infrastructure. Emergency remedial works are being undertaken by Irish Water. The notice states, “Do not swim until further notice.”

Thousands of appointments fall foul of HSE cyber attack PUBLIC hospital appointments for thousands of Clare patients have been cancelled amid fears it may take weeks to fully resolve the serious disruption caused by the cyber attack on the HSE’s information technology systems. Waiting lists for in-patient and outpatient procedures look set to soar over the coming weeks following the cancellation of all outpatient clinics and all elective inpatient and day case procedures except time-critical cases, diagnostic investigations including radiology and endoscopy services. This major unexpected disruption to health services in the Mid-West coincides with the release of official figures from the National Purchase Treatment Fund, which revealed the number of in-patients on waiting lists in the region increased by 34% from 4,798 in January 2020 to 6,465 in April 2021, while the number on outpatients jumped 6.4% from 47,134 in January 2020 to 50,189. There are currently 41,035 patients on the out-patients waiting list at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) …

THE overall compliance rate with national standards in the Ennis Psychiatric Unit fell by 10% over a 12 months period, a new report has revealed. A report published by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) rated the overall compliance rate of the unit at 64% last year compared to 74% in 2019, 66% in 2018, 76% in 2017 and 57% in 2016. The approved centre is located on the ground of Ennis General Hospital and provides in-patient mental health care to residents of North Tipperary and Clare. It had a total of 39 beds. Five beds were designated to psychiatry of later life (POLL). Nine teams admitted residents into the approved centre including the POLL, and rehabilitation teams. Responding to the report, the HSE stated Mid-West Mental Health Services are committed to the delivery of quality and safe mental health services. HSE Mental Health Services welcomed the report of the MHC and has been working since the visit in November on …