Hospitals' €5.2m funding to facilitate longer opening hours

Creation of more than 7,000 additional patient slots across three sites is hoped to ease pressure on University Hospital Limerick

The medical assessment unit at Nenagh Hospital will open on a seven-day basis 'from this weekend'.

The UL Hospitals Group has been given funding of €5.2m to support longer opening hours for medical assessment units (MAU) at hospitals in Limerick, North Tipperary, and Clare.

This means the units at Nenagh Hospital and St John’s will open on a seven-day-a-week basis “from this weekend”, CEO Colette Cowan said today.

The move will result in the creation of more than 7,000 additional patient slots per year across the three sites and is hoped to ease the pressure on University Hospital Limerick, which persistently has long wait times and large numbers of patients on trolleys. 

The MAU at Ennis Hospital already runs seven days a week on a temporary basis and this is now secured, Ms Cowan said.

“The HSE’s National Acute Division has approved the group’s application to provide the necessary staffing resources at St John’s and Nenagh, and secure the already-extended weekend service at Ennis MAU into the future,” she said in an update to local politicians.

UL Hospitals Group CEO Colette Cowan said recruitment has started in order to hire the equivalent of 51.45 full-time staff.

Ms Cowan said recruitment has started in order to hire the equivalent of an extra 51.45 full-time staff. This will include medical doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, health and social care professionals, and administrative staff.

In addition, she said: “Work has commenced on the second phase of the extension of the neonatal unit at University Maternity Hospital Limerick.” 

This includes upgrades to the existing intensive care and high dependency units and work on the special care unit.

The announcement comes as the UL Hospitals Group (ULHG) has asked that “less acutely unwell” patients avoid the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick over the Easter weekend due to high demand for emergency and inpatient care.