Tag Archives: UHL

THE failures of University Hospital Limerick, which recently broke Irish records for patients waiting on trolleys; was the background to a behind closed doors meeting between UL Hospitals representatives CEO Colette Cowan, Chief Clinical Director Paul Burke and Clare County Council on Monday. Councillor Tom McNamara was one of those who attended but he didn’t accept all that he was told. “They outlined the reason for the overcrowding, they said there was an MRI scanner down and they need a second one. They said that 25 beds extra were opened up when the 17 closed, which we found hard to believe. You know in your heart and soul if 25 beds were going up in Limerick Regional Hospital, there’d be a big fanfare. From what we can gather from below, there weren’t 25 beds open. How come if there were 25 beds opened, when the 17 closed, the numbers on trolleys jumped up to 81?” A few years ago the …

TEN years ago this month, 24- hour emergency department services in Ennis closed and services in the region were reconfigured, despite dire warnings that the HSE’s new plan would not work and could, in fact, prove disastrous. When one looks back at the reports from that time, it is very striking how prescient the people who made the objections were but even they surely could not have believed that things would be so bad so long later. On Monday, Clare County Council passed a motion of no confidence in Minister Simon Harris, after 81 people were left on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) last Wednesday. In The Clare Champion of April 3, 2009, Clare TD Pat Breen opposed the new acute model and, at the time, he felt far more moderate figures were also terrible. “Patients have been left on trolleys for extended periods. There were 17 people on trolleys in Limerick on Tuesday and 28 people on Monday,” …

This week we discuss why Shannon Airport is still struggling years after Leo Varadkar’s plan for recovery, the impact of Brexit on Clare and the US military veterans before the courts.

UL Hospitals Group is appealing to members of the public to consider all their care options before presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) at UHL. There has been a surge in presentations to Emergency Departments around the country in recent days and the ED at UHL is currently managing high volumes of patients including significant volumes of frail elderly patients with chronic conditions and complex care needs. “UL Hospitals apologises for any inconvenience caused to patients or their loved ones who have experienced long wait times in the ED at UHL, and we would like to reassure patients and their families that we are working to alleviate the situation,” the group said in a statement on Wednesday. “Members of the public are urged to consider all their care options at this time and not to attend the Emergency Department unless necessary.  Injury Units in St John’s, Ennis and Nenagh hospitals are open for appropriate injuries. Injury Units are open in …

A free public information evening on prostate cancer will take place on Tuesday, April 9 at 5pm in the South Court Hotel, Limerick. Staff from UL Hospitals Group and the Mid-Western Radiation Oncology Centre will discuss prostate cancer and potential treatment options. Speakers on the evening are to include: Dr Nemeer Osman, Consultant Medical Oncologist, University Hospital Limerick Dr Mazen El Bassiouni, Consultant Radiation Oncologist, Mid-Western Radiation Oncology Centre Dr Jody Khan, Specialist Registrar in Urology, UL Hospitals Group Members of the public who attend the information evening will leave with a better understanding of what to expect in the prostate cancer journey. Patients, along with friends and family, are welcome to attend. Approximately 300 men currently attend for ongoing care for prostate cancer in the UL Hospitals Group. The National Cancer Strategy recognises the importance of public engagement.  Feedback from men from the MidWest who have undergone at least one line of treatment for prostate cancer has shown that patients would …

IN a statement issued today (Wednesday) University Hospital Limerick (UHL) have said that their Emergency Department (ED) has been experiencing higher levels of attendance than normal than since last weekend and is currently extremely busy. Hospital management are appealing to members of the public to consider all their care options before presenting to the ED at UHL. Members of the public with a less serious illness can be treated by their GP or out of hours GP service where their GP can refer them to an Assessment Unit if required. “However, if you are seriously injured or ill or are worried your life is at risk the ED will assess and treat you as a priority. Our Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospitals are open from 8am to 8pm, and St John’s is open from 8am to 6pm. Injury Units are for the treatment of broken bones, dislocations, sprains strains, wounds, scalds and minor burns. More information on …

ON Wednesday (February 20) 57 patients were waiting for beds at University Limerick Hospital. This was according to INMO Trolley Watch figures. Nation-wide, a total of 442 admitted patients were waiting for beds. Of that figure, 322 are waiting in the emergency department, while 120 are in wards elsewhere in the hospital. Every morning at 8am, INMO members count how many patients are waiting in the Emergency Department for a bed and how many are waiting in wards elsewhere in the hospital. The INMO Trolley Watch counts the number of patients who have been admitted to acute hospitals, but who are waiting for a free bed. These patients are often being treated on trolleys in corridors, but they may also be on chairs, in waiting rooms, or simply wherever there’s space. The INMO started Trolley Watch in 2004.

UL Hospitals Group is asking the public to “consider all of their care options” before attending the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) this Thursday, while the Injury Unit in Ennis is closed today due to ongoing industrial action. In the 24-hour period up to 8am on on Thursday morning, a total of 261 patients attended the Emergency Department, one of the highest levels ever recorded. “As members of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (IMNO) commenced 24 hours of industrial action from 8am, UL Hospitals continue to work with the INMO to secure the safest possible level of nursing and midwifery cover in our hospitals during the period of the strike and contingency arrangements are in place,” the group said in a statement today (Thursday). UL Hospitals Group expects that the Emergency Department will be busy throughout the day. Injury Units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s hospitals are also closed on account of today’s industrial action. The Injury Units will reopen …