Tag Archives: University Hospital Limerick

SERVICES need to be expanded in Ennis Hospital to reduce the possibility of a “car crash” scenario of massive overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) next winter. That was the warning issued by Deputy Michael McNamara, who has asked Health Minister Simon Harris what measures is he putting in place to ensure acute patients who need to go to UHL attend the ED and those who can be treated in Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals are accommodated there. Deputy McNamara called for an expansion of services in Ennis Hospital to prevent chronic overcrowding in UHL next winter. “A huge escalation in the capability of Ennis to deal with the local injuries unit and the medical assessment unit as well as outpatient facilities is needed so that we do not have the overcrowding that looks almost inevitable now. It is like looking at a car crash from six months away. “University Hospital Limerick has been consistently the most overcrowded hospital in the …

UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick (UHL) will be able to cope with a second wave of Covid-19, according to a senior clinician. Professor Paul Burke, chief academic officer at UL Hospitals’ Group believes Ireland may experience new clusters of the virus like other countries. Speaking at a recent media briefing in the University of Limerick, Professor predicted there will be a “relative surge” of coronavirus. “I think there will be a relative surge. There may be clusters like Seoul in South Korea. We do have a good contact tracing system in place. If we identify things quickly we will be able to curb it. “I think we will have a consistent number of Covid-19 patients in our hospitals on an ongoing basis. The threat will continue to remain. “I would be confident that UHL will cope with another surge. It has been remarkable over the last three months. The first notifiable case was in the Mid-West. We instituted our close down a …

AN ENNIS doctor has been appointed to a new paediatric cardiology service at UHL which is expected to improve patient access and reduce anxiety for families in the Mid West. Limerick has been designated an Area Children’s Cardiac Centre under the All-Island Congenital Heart Disease Network. The regional service has now commenced through the appointment of Ennis woman Dr Rachel Power as consultant paediatrician with a specialist interest in paediatric cardiology. Nurse specialist Georgina Purcell has also been appointed to support this significant service development. The All-Island Congenital Heart Disease All Island Network was established in March 2015 and is the first clinical network of its kind delivering world-class specialist care irrespective of borders or politics. The network manages an all-island service delivery model for congenital heart disease in children, building on existing services and drawing them together in a network of care which is patient focused and locally responsive. The establishment of Area Children’s Cardiac Centres, as part of …

UL Hospitals Group has introduced a skin temperature monitoring system at University Hospital Limerick in an intensification of efforts to minimise the risk of Covid-19 infection among patients and staff at the region’s main acute hospital. The system has been generously donated to the hospital by Adare Manor and the McManus family. One detection point is already operational just beyond the hospital’s entrance lobby, and this will soon be complemented by further detection units in areas of high footfall. Dr Sarah O’Connell, Infectious Diseases Consultant and Clinical Lead for COVID-19 at UL Hospitals Group, said: “This is an additional measure we have taken to try to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 at UHL, and we would like to thank all those involved in the introduction of this project.” The skin temperature monitoring system is a safe, non-invasive thermal imaging process that has been calibrated to detect temperatures greater than 37.5 degrees Celsius. High temperature may be a sign of fever, which is a common symptom of Covid-19, and the system will help identify …

  PARENTS should be alert to warning signs of early onset diabetes in children, and not to delay during the Covid-19 pandemic from seeking diagnosis of and treatment for the condition, it has been stressed. Dr Orla Neylon, consultant paediatric endocrinologist at University Hospital Limerick, said parents should be aware of the symptoms, and, if their child is displaying them, to contact first their family doctor or, if their GP is unavailable, the paediatric emergency department at UHL. “Treatment is urgent,” Dr Neylon said. “If children are urinating frequently; if they are excessively thirsty and wetting the bed; if they’re losing weight; and if the child has a lack of energy, then parents should consider the possibility of diabetes, and get it checked immediately.” She added, “It’s understandable during the current Covid-19 pandemic that people might be concerned about attending hospitals, but if diabetes is not treated as a matter of urgency, it can lead to complications that are potentially …

TWO rapid build hospital extension projects are underway to respond to the Covid-19 crisis in the Midwest. Two 24-bed single room, ensuite blocks are earmarked to come on stream in July at both the main University Hospital Limerick (UHL) campus in Raheen, and on the site of Croom Orthopaedic Hospital in County Limerick. Both projects, which are part of the National Action Plan in response to the Coronavirus crisis, involve a rapid-build steel-frame system that facilitates an earlier start to construction work and a more streamlined process than would be possible with traditional builds. Certain elements of the buildings, such as en-suite bathrooms, will be made off-site and brought to the hospitals as completed pods for installation, reducing the number of truck movements to and from the hospitals during construction. According to the UL Hospitals Group (ULHG), the two facilities are permanent structures, with scope for expansion at a later stage, and are in line with ongoing strategic development plans, …

Injury Units in Nenagh and Ennis Hospitals and St John’s Limerick will play a vital role in UL Hospitals Group’s ring-fencing of the Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick (UL) for treatment of Covid-19 cases and other seriously ill patients during the ongoing public health emergency. As de-escalation of the region’s main acute hospital continues in anticipation of the Covid-19 surge, all patients with minor injuries—such as suspected broken bones, cuts, bruises, sprains and strains—will be redirected to the Injury Units in Nenagh, Ennis and St John’s for treatment. To support this redirection of minor injury work, the injury unit at St John’s is moving from five-day to seven-day opening. From Saturday March 28th, the facility opened from 8am to 7pm on weekends and the unit’s weekday opening hours were also extended, with the facility open until 7pm every day. Dr Gareth Quin, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at UHL and St John’s Hospital Injury Unit, encouraged patients with minor …

PARENTS are being urged to recognise the warning signs of early onset diabetes in children and not to delay during the Covid-19 pandemic from seeking diagnosis of and treatment for the condition. Dr Orla Neylon, consultant paediatric endocrinologist  at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), said parents should be aware of the symptoms, and, if their child is displaying them, to contact first their family doctor or, if their GP is unavailable, the Paediatric Emergency Department at UHL. Dr Neylon has warned treatment is urgent particularly for children who  are urinating frequently;  are excessively thirsty; wetting the bed;  losing weight and if the child has a lack of energy. then parents should consider the possibility of diabetes, and get it checked immediately.” She added: “It’s understandable during the current Covid-19 pandemic that people might be concerned about attending hospitals, but if diabetes is not treated as a matter of urgency, it can lead to complications that are potentially fatal.” The early symptoms …