A&E overcrowding leads to cancelled operations

THE crisis at the Mid Western Regional Hospital in Limerick took on new proportions last night when the hospital admitted it could not say how many, if any, surgical operations would take place today.

As scores of patients crammed surgical wards, a hospital spokesman said: “I cannot say how many operations were cancelled yesterday and today and I cannot say how many will be cancelled tomorrow.” The spokesman said that all cancelled operations involved elective surgery.

Nurses said the overcrowding has been exacerbated by the centralisation of emergency and acute surgical services in Limerick. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said there were 44 patients on trolleys yesterday and 51 the day before.

INMO spokeswoman in the mid-west Mary Fogarty said: “The INMO members are demanding that plans to centralise more services from February 11, including cardiology and acute medicine, are suspended pending the outcome of an investigation we want the health standards authority, HIQA, to carry out.”

She said over the Christmas period, inpatients at the Mid-West Regional had little access to diagnostic tests and procedures.

Ms Fogarty said: “This has led to very few inpatient discharges and the consequent inability of the hospital to cope with the surge in activity since December 26. It is unacceptable that a regional centre for excellence shuts down over the Christmas period and is consequently unable to respond to a surge in demand in a safe way.”

A spokesman for the HSE Mid-West said there were difficulties in every major hospital because of the large number of seasonal factors including cases of flu and swine flu.

He said: “Everything possible is being done to cope with the situation and we would appeal again to the public not to present at A&E unless it is absolutely necessary and utilise GP services.”

Sinn Féin Cllr Maurice Quinlivan described the conditions at the Limerick’s Mid-Western Regional Hospital as at “crisis level”.

Mr Quinlivan said: “The response of the HSE to the latest crisis &no doubt will be to quote favourable statistics. This means nothing to the many people who today were on trolleys or on beds in corridors at the regional hospital.”