Patients to be treated at private hospital in HSE plan to ease UHL overcrowding

Overcrowding issues are ongoing at University Hospital Limerick. Picture: Dan Linehan

The HSE is in negotiations with a private hospital in an attempt to tackle patient overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

The plan would see some patients at UHL treated and cared for at the €213m private Bon Secours Hospital Limerick (BSL), which opened in September 2024 and is presently expanding its services.

The proposed patient-transfer system would apply at peak times when attendances can be dangerously high at UHL.

UHL has the only 24-hour emergency department for a catchment of more than 400,000 people across Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, and parts of Cork and Kerry.

Out of the 637 patients nationally who were waiting for a bed yesterday, 107 were on trolleys at UHL, in corridors or in other spaces outside the emergency department.

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A spokesperson for the Bon Secours in Limerick said: “As the new Bon Secours Hospital Limerick opens an additional ward, discussions are being finalised to support the public system in providing care for a number of medical patients from University Hospital Limerick.

Bon Secours welcomes the opportunity to support our colleagues in the HSE as we continue the phased opening of our new facility and looks forward to continuing collaboration.

UHL is consistently the most overcrowded hospital nationally, and it has been the subject of a number of internal HSE reviews following patient deaths that occurred during severe overcrowding.

When asked about the proposed plan with Bon Secours, an HSE Midwest spokesperson said: “HSE Mid West and Bon Secours Limerick have been in discussions about transfer of appropriate patients to BSL to alleviate pressure on UHL during periods of peak demand.

“It is hoped an agreement will be finalised in the coming weeks.”

HSE Mid West added that “as discussions are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment further”.

Overcrowding issues have persisted at UHL, despite the opening of additional bed capacity, including the opening of a €105m 96-bed unit on the UHL site, last October.