A pilot scheme introduced at Ennis Hospital early in January is to be extended to Nenagh in the coming weeks.
The Nenagh Needs Its A&E campaign group has seen written confirmation that the ambulance pathway pilot scheme established to divert certain appropriate ambulance cases to Ennis Hospital Medical Assessment Unit, will be extended to Nenagh Hospital in early February.
The scheme will be further extended to St John’s Hospital Limerick soon afterwards.
The campaign group are welcoming the initiative from the HSE and UL Hospitals Group but says it’s success is dependent on funding for capacity and human resources, in Nenagh and Ennis hospitals.
Fifteen Fine Gael Senators, including Cahir based Garret Ahearn, are to put forward a motion at 6pm in the Seanad this evening in respect of HealthCare in the Mid West region.
The motion calls on the Government for some specific actions – one of the requests was for 999 calls to be able to use Nenagh and St John’s if clinically appropriate.
The Senators are also calling on the government to fast-track the proposed second and third 96 bed blocks to address a shortage of acute beds in UHL and that the Department of Health would revisit the decision not to provide an elective hospital in the mid-west region – hospitals of this type are planned for Cork and Galway.
The Senators also want the HSE to fast track the start date for a new surgical hub clinic proposed for Limerick city.
The Senators final request is that the HSE examine the possibility of relocating Shannon Doc, the out of hours GP service for the region, at the UHL campus to help assist non-referral presentations at the Emergency Department.The full list of Senators involved in the motion is; Martin Conway, Maria Byrne, Garret Ahearn, Paddy Burke, Micheál Carrigy, John Cummins, Emer Currie, Regina Doherty, Aisling Dolan, Seán Kyne, Tim Lombard, John McGahon, Joe O’Reilly, Mary Seery Kearney, Barry Ward.
