One-fifth of University Hospital Limerick's nursing roles unfilled

University Hospital Limerick. Lat year it emerged the hospital had lower numbers of full-time nursing staff than comparably sized Dublin hospitals.

University Hospital Limerick has a vacancy rate of 20% among nursing staff with one in five roles unfilled. The staffing shortage means the hospital is forced to rely on agency staff and overtime to fill the gaps.

The news follows findings by health watchdog Hiqa last week showing in the emergency department (ED) 27.52% of nursing roles were unfilled, a shortage equivalent to 34.72 full-time nurses.