Tipperary Fianna Fáil TD Jackie Cahill says Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is to ensure that services at University Hospital Limerick operate effectively for the coming period. The TD says all public representatives in the Mid West have lobbied the Minister to ensure that there is no repeat of incidents last Winter when the Emergency Department to go off call for all but two of the most serious patient needs. The TD also says that management at the hospital are required to ensure the Hospital has adequate resources and can manage patient care and throughput as efficiently as other hospitals.
Deputy Cahill says the three Model 2 Hospitals in the Region – Ennis, St John’s and Nenagh have a role to play in reducing overcrowding in University hospital Limerick without specifying how this can be done. The TD described the situation at UL last year as a “war zone” and says hopefully the same scenario won’t occur this year. 107 admitted patients are on trolleys at UHL today – nationally 447 admitted patients are waiting for beds according to today’s INMO Trolley Watch. The next highest trolley figure is less than half the Limerick figure – 47 in Cork University Hospital and 46 in Letterkenny hospital. Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel reports 9 patients on trolleys today.
