Health minister pledges more hospital beds for Midwest after Hiqa warning on patient safety

Minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Picture: PA

Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has pledged to increase hospital bed numbers across the Midwest region after dire warnings about patient safety risks. 

Health watchdog Hiqa published a review this week of emergency healthcare services across Limerick, Clare, and Tipperary, proposing three options to reduce risks to patients, particularly around the overcrowded emergency department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).