Patients and families protest 'chronic' hospital overcrowding

The Mid-West Hospital Campaign protest against overcowding at the HSE offices in Limerick on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

A woman who spent two nights on a trolley while eight months pregnant joined protesters against hospital overcrowding in Limerick.

A convoy from Clare, Tipperary, and Limerick drove to HSE offices in Limerick on Saturday, as cars and motorbikes were decorated with red bows and flags symbolising danger. 

Horns beeping, they called for the re-opening of smaller emergency services locally to support University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

They laid flowers at the office doors, with many of the more than 100 people present openly crying during this quiet moment.

The mostly red flowers were “in memory of all the people who’ve died on trolleys and who continue to suffer on trolleys in UHL,” said Mary Cahillane, Limerick spokeswoman for the Mid-West Hospital Campaign.

During the Mid-West Hospital Campaign protest, Noeleen Moran called for the HSE to publish its clinical advice indicating it is not safe to have A&Es in smaller hospitals. Picture: Brendan Gleeson 

The protest marked 15 years since reconfiguration of health in the region, including closing of emergency departments (EDs) at hospitals in Nenagh, Ennis, and St John’s in Limerick. She said: 

People are suffering on trolleys and people are dying on trolleys, we know there is plenty of evidence there now that overcrowding is costing people’s lives. 

She was critical of measures announced recently by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, saying: “We are the only region in the country that doesn’t have a Model 3 hospital for our population (to support UHL).” 

Shirley Conway from Clare was a nurse at Ennis Hospital on the day the emergency department closed.

“It was shameful, it was just disgraceful that it was closed” she said.

She has seen overcrowding grow since then at UHL.

“I was on a trolley myself, when I was about eight months pregnant. I think I was on it for two nights. It was just horrific,” she recalled.

Emer O'Neill, Margaret Walsh, Michael O'Brien, Michael Raferty, Ireland South European election candidate Lorna Bogue, and Una MacNamara at the Mid-West Hospital Campaign protest in Limerick on Saturday. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Describing more recent experiences, she said: “I’m a mother, I have children and I’ve been in the A&E with them, it was horrible.” 

She feels Ennis hospital, despite recent improvements, is not supported as it should be.

“If someone has a heart attack outside the door of Ennis hospital now, they can’t go in for treatment they have to be brought to Limerick,” she said.

Ann Kelly came in a convoy of at least 25 cars from Nenagh.

“We’ve lost our A&E in Nenagh and people are dying of neglect basically, they are coming into Limerick on trolleys for hours on end and they are not getting seen to,” she said.

“People have lost their lives, it looks like it will continue to happen unless something is done. That’s why we joined with the campaign today, to show our support.” 

Shirley Conway, formerly a nurse at Ennis Hospital, attended the Mid-West Hospital Campaign protest in Limerick on Saturday. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Susan Walsh from Limerick city joined the protest from near St John’s hospital.

She said patient numbers are UHL can only be contained by boosting services in the smaller hospitals.

“It’s just chronic, the staff can’t cope out there, they can’t keep up,” she said.

“I’m just scared for my family and for my parents and for the future generations. I’m here to fight for the future generations.” 

She has been in the emergency department with her children, and said: “You just have to realise you are going to be out there for 12 hours if not more.

“And that’s because we were lucky and our children ended up coming out - they didn’t need a bed because they would have ended up on a trolley.” 

Amanda Major taking part in the Mid-West Hospital Campaign protest against hospital overcrowding at Houston Hall in Limerick. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Richard Devereaux travelled from Clare in a convoy of around 30 cars and spoke at the event.

A member of Lahinch Search and Rescue for 27 years, he said they aimed to get injured people “within the first hour” to hospital.

“There is no way you would get that from Lahinch on a summer’s day to the hospital in Limerick, whatever about Ennis. It’s shameful,” he said.

Ken McCarthy, from Limerick, described attending the UHL emergency department in February with complications following a knee operation.

“I could see for myself, there were markings on the floor where trolleys were lined up along the windows and patients being treated there, it was undignified, people had no privacy,” he said.

“I think it’s scandalous, we’re a first world country, we’re not third world - we deserve a better health service than what we are getting from Minister Donnelly.” 

Clarewoman Marie McMahon has campaigned for reform since her husband Tommy was found unresponsive on a trolley in 2018. She laid flowers in his memory. 

Noeleen Moran said she was laying a single rose in memory of people who have died in UHL. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

“You can see a lot of people who are here have been personally affected,” she said.

“Our people are dying. We are not second-class citizens and we should be treated with equality and that is all we ask for, the same as everybody else.” 

Campaign spokeswoman from Clare Noeleen Moran called for the HSE to publish clinical advice indicating it is not safe to have EDs in the smaller hospitals.

“This is the advice that tells us we can’t have another emergency department in the Midwest,” she said.

“The problem is our emergency department is too small, it’s a fine hospital, we have great staff working in it. This is no slight on them.” 

Nenagh campaigner Tanya DeVito McMahon also spoke as did Charlotte Keane from Limerick who spent two days on a trolley in 2020.

A small number of councillors and election candidates attended.

Ken McCarthy, Mungret, was among those demonstrators who brought flowers to the HSE offices in Limerick in honour of patients who have suffered due to hospital overcrowding. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Seamus Morris, independent councillor for Nenagh, expects UHL to feature in the upcoming elections.

“We’re not going away because we have lost too many people over the last 15 years,” he said.

“There’s been high-profile deaths, but there’s been many deaths that haven’t been so high-profile. We are here to stand up for the people that have suffered on trolleys.” 

Amanda Major, local election candidate for Ennis, said cancellations of operations to make room for emergencies affect many families.

“My son was on a waiting list for four years, and we had eight cancellations for a procedure that takes just 20 minutes,” she said, adding it was only done last week.

Independent councillor for Nengah, Seamus Morris, at the Mid-West Hospital Campaign protest against hospital overcrowding in Limerick on Saturday. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

“It’s so busy there. They would call me on that very day even, on the day and they are cancelling it.” 

Lorna Bogue, now of the Rabharta Glas party, said: "There have been very serious problems of overcrowding every since I can remember, and there is something which can be done about that." 

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Labour councillor Conor Sheehan, who recently highlighted his grandfather’s experience on trolleys at UHL, also attended.

HSE chief clinical officer Colm Henry has said it is not safe to re-open the smaller emergency departments as they require other high-levels supports on-site which are not in place.

A package of measures announced this month by the HSE and health minister is expected to bring improvements, HSE CEO Bernard Gloster has said.