Elective hospital urgently needed in Mid-West, warns group chief

Patients are subjected to chronic overcrowding and long delays at University Hospital Limerick's emergency department. Picture: Dan Linehan

The chief executive of the University of Limerick (UL) Hospitals Group has said the region urgently needs a new hospital to focus solely on elective procedures to ease the pressure on the overcrowded system.

Colette Cowan also said 200 additional beds are needed to raise University Hospital Limerick (UHL) to the national bed-count average.

Prof Cowan's calls come against a backdrop of growing frustration among patients at chronic overcrowding and long delays at UHL's emergency department.

On Saturday, shortages hit patients again when the Ennis Injury Unit was closed due to “short-term staffing deficits”, according to a hospital statement.

Patients with minor injuries, including broken bones or burns, were urged to instead attend St John’s in Limerick or Nenagh Injury Unit but not the emergency department in UHL.

Prof Cowan, who oversees the six main hospital sites in the Mid-West, is pleading for another hospital to be developed following a scathing report by health watchdog Hiqa on overcrowding at UHL.

Inspectors published a report in June that found that one patient was waiting 116 hours to get a bed and found that consistent overcrowding leads to the cancellation of elective operations in the region.

“It is the belief of UL Hospitals Group that the Mid-West must have an elective hospital to serve the well-described needs of patients in the Mid-West,” said Prof Cowan.

She said management met with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly in February, highlighting concerns that plans are underway for elective hospitals in Cork and Galway but not Limerick.

“Clinicians outlined the crisis for elective care, and reiterated the core requirement for an elective hospital,” she said.

Colette Cowan, chief executive of the University of Limerick Hospitals Group, also said 200 additional beds are needed.

She referred back to the reconfiguration of health services around 2008 which saw beds closed at hospitals in Nenagh and Ennis.

“Unfortunately, new capacity was not provided to make up for these shortcomings, mainly due to the global financial crisis of 2008,” she said, responding to a parliamentary query from Aontu TD Peadar Tóibín.

These smaller hospitals also saw their emergency departments closed and replaced by injury units and medical assessment units.

The overcrowding and cancellations affect people from Tipperary and Limerick.

Nenagh-based Independent councillor Seamie Morris, a member of the Regional Health Forum, said: “The amount of people that actually have no faith in the emergency services in the Mid-West is worrying. I’m talking to people and they are going to Ballinasloe, Portlaoise, and Tullamore.” 

He said these problems can be dated back 14 years.

The indignity of sitting in an A&E — it cannot be overemphasised how frightened people are going into the A&E in the Mid-West. 

“Here we are in 2022, we are now in a position where hospital management themselves are saying they are 200 beds short. It is upsetting.” 

The injury unit in Nenagh was also temporarily closed on July 29 and 30, with reduced hours on August 1, due to unexpected leave among staff, the hospital said.

“It’s one of the busiest injury units,” said Mr Morris. “We ended up with no emergency service in the whole of North Tipp. It’s a mess.” 

Prof Cowan said UHL continues working with the HSE’s Performance Management Improvement Unit, sent in by the HSE and the health minister in response to the Hiqa report. She said the focus is on four areas, including protecting elective healthcare.

UL Hospitals Group has commissioned its own review, with consultancy firm Deloitte expected to report in the coming weeks.