Tag Archives: UHL

RECORD overcrowding at the Mid-West’s main hospital has been strongly condemned at a meeting of Clare County Council, with an urgent call for a new regional facility for elective procedures. A motion from Councillor Johnny Flynn at April’s meeting called for a public, electives-only hospital, “in light of the record trolley numbers, lack of bed and clinical capacity at UHL”. The Fine Gael member said it would be “a failure of government” if no such facility was provided, given the worsening issues at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), in terms of emergency care and the growing waiting lists for elective procedures. “Everyone is very familiar with the Teamwork Report, published in 2009, because it recommended the closure of three Emergency Departments,” Councillor Flynn said. “At that time, they had combined admissions of 39 people per day. In March 2022, that figure was 245. In January 2012, there were 304 people on trolleys and that was considered to be an emergency. “In …

VISITING on inpatient wards in University Hospital Limerick has been reinstated from this Wednesday morning, April 13. Scheduled visiting slots for one visitor per patient are now permitted, but in line with national guidance on infection prevention, visits must be booked through an online system on this link Visiting restrictions remain in place for the Emergency Department, Acute Surgical Assessment Unit, and Acute Medical Assessment Unit. A spokesperson said UL Hospitals Group “was glad to bring to an end this period of restriction of access, which had been in place during a surge in community transmission of COVID-19”. Visiting hours at UHL are from 2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 9pm every day, and ward staff will assist with any queries about the booking system. Visitors will have to wear a face mask, which are available at the hospital entrance, and observe hand hygiene. Anyone who is feeling unwell is asked not to visit the hospital. The only exceptions to …

A SITE visit of University Hospital Limerick (UHL) found permissive boarding with beds placed “anytime, anywhere, even and including mixed gender” five months before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new unpublished report has revealed. Serious questions about the model of care being adopted in UHL were highlighted in a draft report – “Review of Unscheduled Care Performance” concerning nine public hospitals, which has been released by the Irish Patients’ Association. Chaired by Prof Tom Keane, former President of the RCSI and joint National Lead Clinical Programme in Surgery, the review team, included external clinical and management expertise from NHS Scotland, the Scottish Government and NHS England. They visited nine public acute hospitals including UHL and Galway University Hospitals from August 16, 2019 to November 18, 2019. Overcrowding continues to be a problem in UHL, with 95 patients on trolleys in the hospital on Wednesday, April 6, which once again was the highest in the country. UHL had 36 …

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has confirmed that March 2022 has been the worst March for overcrowding since the union began counting trolleys in 2006. Some 11,001 patients have been without a bed in hospitals throughout the country in the month of March with UHL having the worst record. In the month of March, 1,671 patients were treated on trolleys at the Mid-West’s main hospital. This was 76% higher than the next worst performing hospital, University Hospital Galway. In Q1 of 2022, 29,506 patients have been without a bed. INMO General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said, “When nurses and midwives use phrases like ‘out of control’ and ‘chaotic’ to describe hospital overcrowding we do not do so lightly. It has been the worst March for overcrowding since our union began counting trolleys in 2006 with 11,001 without beds. “It has been an extremely busy month for those working in our hospitals with over 37% of those who have been …

NO new acute, sub-acute or ICU beds will be opened in the Mid-West this year, according to HSE figures released to Independent Clare Deputy Michael McNamara. In response to Deputy McNamara’s Parliamentary Question, the HSE’s Acute Operations department confirmed none of the six hospitals in the UL Hospitals’ Group will receive any of the 411 acute and 36 ICU beds scheduled to be opened this year subject to staffing and completion of some capital works. “The provision of additional bed capacity on its own will not resolve the overcrowding problems at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), but the delivery of new acute, sub-acute and ICU beds should certainly be part of the solution,” stated Deputy McNamara, who described the exclusion of all six hospitals in Clare, Limerick, and north Tipperary as “disgraceful”. “UHL is the most consistently overcrowded hospital in the country having recorded 76,000 attendances in 2021, up 16% compared to 2020 and up 7% on 2019, and with 91 …

A SUSTAINED surge in emergency presentations and a significant increase in Covid-19 cases has led to almost all elective activity at University Hospital Limerick being deferred until further notice. This includes outpatient appointments, elective surgery and diagnostic investigations. UHL has moved to its highest level of escalation, meaning emergency and time-critical care for the sickest patients is being prioritised. Services at Ennis Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, University Maternity Hospital Limerick, Croom Orthopaedic Hospital and St John’s Hospital are largely unaffected and patients in these hospitals are advised to attend for their appointments or procedures unless contacted directly by our staff and advised otherwise. A spokesperson for UL Hospitals Groups said, “We sincerely regret this significant reduction in service at University Hospital Limerick, which is necessary to prioritise emergency and time-critical care. Affected patients will be contacted as soon as possible to reschedule their appointments and procedures. “The Emergency Department remains open 24-7 for emergency cases and emergency and trauma surgery is …

A PLANNED debate about overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick was deferred at a meeting on Tuesday when there were 84 patients on trolleys in the hospital, a number that rose to 100 this Wednesday. Councillor Liam Grant and Councillor Seamus Morris had tabled a motion calling for the consistent overcrowding to be addressed by reversing the closure of Emergency Departments at Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospital at a HSE West Forum meeting on Tuesday. However, the councillors decided to defer any discussion on this motion due to the lack of any representative from the UL Hospitals’ Group at the meeting. Overcrowding continues to be a problem at the regional flagship acute hospital where the number of patients on trolleys soared to 100 on Wednesday. According to the Irish Nurses and Midwives’ Organisation Trolley Watch, this was almost twice the number of patients on trolleys in Letterkenny where were were 54 patients on trolleys and was also much higher than …

VISITING restrictions remain in place for inpatient wards in University Hospital Limerick due to very high levels of Covid positive patients in the hospital and the high level of community transmission. The visitor ban has been in place since Sunday afternoon and the only exceptions are • parents visiting children in hospital • people assisting confused patients; for example, dementia • visiting on compassionate grounds; for example, for patients who are critically unwell or at end of life A spokesperson for UL Hospitals Group said, “We regret the imposition of visiting restrictions so soon after we began to lift them. The decision has been taken to help keep all patients and staff safe, and to ensure that the hospital’s essential services can remain open at this time.” Exemptions are limited to one person per patient and will be looked at on a case by case basis. In cases where exemptions apply, it is strongly recommend that the visitor is fully …