Hospital beats same-day elective surgery targets

A Limerick hospital has raced past its surgery targets under objectives set down earlier this year, it emerged yesterday.

The number of patients undergoing elective surgery at St John’s on the day of admission has risen from 50% to over 93%.

As part of the configuration programme of hospitals in the Mid-West, St John’s was this year set a goal of 75% of same-day elective surgeries.

Fearghal Grimes, the hospital’s chief executive, yesterday said that because of the reconfiguration programme — which has seen all major surgery transferred to the Mid-West Regional from St John’s, Nenagh General and Ennis General — his hospital had seen major improvements in services to patients.

Since the start of the year, he said, it had achieved major benefits due to the benefit of the reconfiguration.

Up to 50 surgical procedures are carried out at St John’s weekly by a roster of 18 surgeons based at the Mid-West Regional.

Mr Grimes said the reconfiguration programme led to greater efficiencies.

“There is no doubt and it has cut down costs, with patients spending less time in hospital.

“More than 95% of patients coming into St John’s for elective surgery now come in the day of surgery, have undergone pre-assessment, and most are discharged after one night.”

Mr Grimes said the situation in St John’s had been greatly helped with all major surgery now being dealt with at the Mid-West Regional.