700 patients in Limerick, Nenagh, and Ennis had ops cancelled in the last six weeks

Concerns are growing that efforts to reduce overcrowding in UHL are now causing delays for patients elsewhere in the region

The wave of cancellations at the UL Hospitals Group follow the postponement of all elective procedures during the first fortnight in January. Stock picture

More than 700 patients had their operations cancelled since mid-January due to the overcrowding crisis in the UL Hospitals Group, including in Ennis and Nenagh hospitals.

Concerns are growing locally that efforts to reduce overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick (UHL) are now causing delays for patients elsewhere in the region.

This comes as the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said 84 people were waiting trolleys or chairs for a bed at UHL today. Nationally, there were 575 patients unable to get a bed, including 65 at Cork University Hospital.

A UL Hospitals Group spokesman said the cancellations followed the postponing of all elective procedures during the first fortnight in January.

“This year’s surge in demand for beds exceeded capacity to the extent that, as per our Escalation Plan, additional reductions in scheduled care were necessary, delaying the resumption of day surgery in Ennis Hospital and Nenagh Hospital, where beds on the day ward were used as surge capacity for medical inpatients,” he said.

University of Limerick Hospitals Group CEO Colette Cowan. Prof Cowan said the cancellations highlight the need to develop a surgical hub in the Mid West region.

During the last six weeks, he said: “There were 747 cancellations of day case and inpatient surgical procedures across UL Hospitals Group, including day surgery on our sites at Ennis and Nenagh.”

Inpatient surgery at St John’s Hospital in Limerick was also cancelled last week.

“We apologise to all patients impacted, who are contacted directly, and will be offered a rescheduled appointment at the earliest opportunity,” he said.

On Friday, in an update shared with TDs and councillors, the hospital group’s CEO Colette Cowan said: “We are acutely conscious of patients who have already been waiting a long time for their procedure.

“We are also aware of the frustrations of highly trained theatre staff who are redeployed to other roles while surgery is curtailed.” She added:  

This tension between scheduled and unscheduled care, exacerbated by the shortage of bed capacity in the region, only further highlights the importance of developing a surgical hub for the region as soon as possible. 

She also highlighted growing numbers at injury units saying 38,523 patients attended these units in Ennis, Nenagh, and St John’s last year, a 30% rise on 2021.

Attendance at medical assessment units, which accept patients referred by GPs, Shannondoc and ambulance paramedics, rose by 19%.

Independent councillor for Nenagh Seamus Morris said the numbers show the huge pressure that exists on all hospitals.

“Nenagh hasn’t the facility to have any people on corridors,” he said. “They’re only moving people around the place.

“There are 84 people on trolleys in UHL, two in Ennis — so that’s 86 people on trolleys, when we were promised last year all of this would be reduced.”

He plans to raise the issue again at Tuesday’s Regional Health Forum, West.

The Mid-West Hospital Campaign’s Marie McMahon said these increases reflect growing demand for healthcare in the region.

“These figures were to be expected,” she said. “And [they] come against a growing anger and disquiet at the failure of management and Government to listen to the population of the Mid West region who demand a health service and emergency services equal to that of the rest of the country.”