Tag Archives: UHL

UL Hospitals Group is appealing to members of the public to consider “all care options” before presenting to the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) The hospital 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 Emergency Department 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 issued on Monday afternoon. 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 Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday and 8am to 6pm …

THE University Maternity Hospital in Limerick is one step closer to providing water births as it plans to introduce a water immersion service for labour by the end of May. Although it will not be offering water births, the new immersion service will be offered for the first time in Limerick as part of a range of labour supports in the home-birthing room to facilitate natural labour. Although UMHL has said water birthing will not take place at the hospital yet, the facilities provided will bring the hospital closer to providing that service in the future. Currently just one hospital in the country offers a water birthing option – the Coombe in Dublin. This is available to pregnant women presenting between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy with no medical, surgical or obstetrical risk factors or complications. At present, the pool at the Coombe is reserved for women who consent to participate in the hospital’s research study, ‘Use of water …

Plans have been unveiled for the provision of a video-based remote doctor service in Kilrush, as efforts intensify to halt cutbacks in the out-of-hours Shannondoc service in West and East Clare. It remains to be seen if this will satisfy campaigners seeking a full restoration of GP out-of-hours services throughout the county. Under a new rationalisation plan, which was supported by doctors at a recent annual general meeting, Shannondoc’s Kilrush and Ennistymon services will relocate to Miltown Malbay during weekdays, with the same operating hours applying. Kilrush and Ennistymon will only now open at weekends until 7pm. Shannondoc is to introduce a video-based remote doctor service at its Kilrush centre, allowing it to remain open nightly for two hours. The new service provides for a remote doctor to connect with the Kilrush clinic via a secure, high-definition video link. Patients will contact Shannondoc as they normally would and a triage nurse will first determine if the patient requires a GP …

A LOCAL woman has questioned if the HSE believes the health and life of her daughter is “worth more than €600”, following a traumatic experience. Nicole Norton (19), who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, requires intrathecal baclofen therapy (IBT) to prevent her from going into possible spasm, internal organ and heart failure. In an interview with The Clare Champion, her mother, Ann Norton, said she got a phonecall from a senior clinician on Wednesday of last week informing her that the HSE would no longer pay for the cost of refilling this pump because it is too expensive. It costs about €600 to provide medication for the pump every five or six weeks. Ms Norton said she was told the medication for the pump is “not being released from the pharmacy due to the cost”. “I felt sick in my stomach that the HSE would put Nicole’s life at risk for the sake of €600.” Councillor Norton said if Nicole goes into …