A Sinn Féin motion outlining the urgent action which the Government must take to end the crisis at University Hospital Limerick(UHL) is to be debated in the Dáil tonight.
Tipperary TD Martin Browne says the party wants to deliver safe and accessible urgent and emergency care services which are based on the region’s population.
Deputy Brown says the party would fast track the necessary capacity to make UHL safe and deliver 24/7 urgent care at Ennis, Nenagh, and St John’s Hospitals.
The motion comes following the publication of the Clarke Report into the death of Aoife Johnston in UHL in December 2022 at a time of severe overcrowding in the Emergency Department.
Fifteen years since the closure of Ennis, Nenagh, and St John’s emergency departments, bed capacity at UHL is still below the level recommended in 2009.
Taking into account population growth and demographic change, there is a compelling case now for a model 3 hospital with an emergency department for the region according to Deputy Browne.
“The recent Clarke report also noted that the UHL site is nearing capacity. The HIQA review of emergency care in the region must be tasked with examining a suitable location for the scaling up of services to provide a partner for UHL” accord to Deputy Browne.
UHL is now using the recently built Community Nursing Unit in Nenagh to provide temporary extra bed capacity for UHL – 16 patients were in the 50 bedroom unit as of Sunday and the CEO of the HSE expects the building will be fully utilised in the coming weeks.
The INMO reported 86 admitted patients on trolleys in UHL yesterday – the HSE intends to use the Nenagh facility for patients that have received care but are not yet fit to be discharged.
