University Hospital Limerick requires 100 more acute beds

University Hospital Limerick (UHL) requires up to 100 additional acute beds but the reality is nurses are asking for beds to be closed because they do not have the staff to man existing stock, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

Mary Fogarty, INMO spokeswoman, said the reconfiguration of hospital services in the Midwest which resulted in the closure of emergency departments (EDs) at St John’s Hospital, Limerick; Ennis in Clare; and Nenagh in Tipperary and the streamlining of services into UHL had contributed to the “mess” they now found themselves in.

“This could all have been predicted with reconfiguration. Someone should examine how this has been allowed to happen,” said Ms Fogarty.