Tag Archives: Mid-West HSE

WORK has started on phase two of a €2 million extension of a unit in Raheen Community Hospital, the Mid-West HSE has confirmed.   The latest extension consists of the provision of a new build ward extension, which will provide HIQA compliant accommodation to seven residents in the existing Community Nursing Unit at Raheen. Following Public Works Restricted Procurement procedure, a contract was awarded to Custy Construction in March and the works have commenced on site. These major works will be carried out in two phases. Phase one consists of the construction of new plant room and services compound and partial demolition of existing stores building to allow for the connection and commissioning of the new services to the existing building. The second phase, which is programmed to start in July 2021, will be the demolition of the remainder of the stores building followed by the construction of the bedroom block. The construction duration is about 12 months to be followed …

A MAN from the Mid-West who failed to restrict his movements on his return from a holidays abroad infected 56 other people with Covid-19, the Mid-West HSE has revealed. This man, who inadvertently passed on this contagious virus to ten private households and a sports team, had mild symptoms including a runny nose and a mild sore throat. After discovering his temperature was normal, he socialised with a group of friends and later tested positive for Covid-19. However, by this stage, he had already infected a number of his friends. Three of these friends went on to infect their families. Another friend who he infected felt unwell and contacted her GP to arrange a Covid-19 test. She had the test in the morning but by afternoon she felt a bit better and decided to go to a friend’s party. After the party, she got her test result and it was positive. By attending the party while waiting for her test …

A NEW Clinical Assessment Unit is expected be set up in Shannon Health Centre later this week  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. The numbers of people waiting for a Covid-19 test in the Mid-West has been slashed from 8,000 to 500 in a week including 77 now in Clare following the introduction of new criteria. Clare family doctors have been advised patients will only qualify for a swab if they …

THE average waiting time for dental extraction for children has dramatically increased from six weeks to eight months, following a reorganisation of the service, Impact has claimed. The Clare chairperson of Impact’s health division, Helen Liddy, expressed concern about the deterioration in the  public dental extraction service in Ennis Hospital for young children who need a general anaesthetic. This involves children aged four to nine, with one or more teeth to have removed, which weren’t due to fall out until they were 10.  It is understood there are up 70 children on the dental extraction list. Ms Liddy, who works as a dental nurse in the county clinic in Bindon Street, Ennis, explained when this service was managed locally, the waiting time was six weeks but now it is eight and sometimes 10 months, after the change was made two years ago. “Joe Greene, dental surgeon, was working in Ennis Hospital for 15 years and about two years ago, the …

An Ennis woman, who recently tried to take her own life, has appealed for changes in the general admission and treatment policies for people suffering from severe psychological and emotional distress. Aisling Byrnes, aged 36, claims she was discharged on her own from University Hospital Limerick recently, without a care plan or a request for a family member to take her home, despite being under high observation while she was in the hospital. She has decided to speak about her recent experience to try and ensure no other patient experiences the same serious deficits in the regional mental health system. Her experience has prompted Liam Minogue of Emotions Peer Support Centre (Peer) to request the Mid-West HSE to conduct an urgent review of general admission and treatment policies for people in crisis. The Mid-West HSE hadn’t responded to a number of queries from The Clare Champion at the time of going to press. Ms Byrnes, who suffers from borderline personality disorder, …