Hospital’s €15m extension lies idle as HSE faces dispute over staffing
The 50-bed extension was announced following a damning Health Information and Quality Authority report in 2009.
In June of this year, the chief executive of the Midwest Hospital Group, Ann Doherty, told the HSE West Forum that the target date for the phased opening of the hospital was the first week in July.
However, two months on, the extension remains closed, with the HSE last night unable to say when it will open.
The HSE stated: “We are currently working through final equipping and commissioning and also dealing with some human resources issues which we expect will be concluded shortly.”
All of the new beds are located in individual rooms and replace the old female and male medical wards that accommodated eight patients in each ward with patients also accommodated in a small number of single and twin rooms.
INMO industrial relations officer Mary Fogarty said the new layout involving the 50 single rooms requires higher staffing levels.
She said: “We are particularly concerned over staffing levels at evening and night time and we believe that what is proposed by the HSE between 4pm and 8pm is not enough.”
Ms Fogarty said: “I am optimistic that we can reach agreement. There is not a huge amount of difference between us.”
She said that the INMO is due to meet with the HSE tomorrow, when the issue of Ennis General Hospital is expected to be discussed.
Ms Fogarty said her members are looking forward to working in the new building.
“Our members are very anxious to move into the new building. It will be better for patients and for staff and will provide a morale boost for nurses,” she said.
“We want the move to happen as soon as possible. We are very positive about it.”
The need to upgrade accommodation for patients at Ennis General was first identified following a report into the bug C difficile at the hospital in 2008.
The report found that C difficile was a contributory factor in 13 deaths at the hospital under review.
The report highlighted the need for high occupancy and isolation facilities at the hospital.
