Nearly 27,000 left Limerick emergency department since 2019 without treatment

Government accused of 'complete disregard' for Mid West healthcare access as 9,180 left ED in 2022 without accessing care

Since 2019, 26,918 people left University Hospital Limerick ED without  treatment. Picture: Dan Linehan

Nearly 27,000 people have left the emergency department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) since 2019 without receiving treatment.

According to figures released by the HSE to Independent Clare TD Violet-Anne Wynne, 26,918 people left the ED without receiving any medical attention.

The hospital has consistently struggled with overcrowding in recent years. 

Nationally, around 1.5m people used Ireland's EDs last year, but 115,165 people left without completing their treatment in 2022. In April, the Irish Examiner  revealed that nearly 14,500 people left Irish EDs without being treated in the first two months of 2023.

Ms Wynne said that the figures released to her showed a disregard for the hospital by the Government.

“I am absolutely shocked and appalled at this unacceptably high number of people who left the only accident and emergency dept in the Mid-West without receiving any care or medical attention," she said.

It is simply inexcusable and both senior management at the University of Limerick Hospitals Group and the Minister for Health should hang their heads in shame.

“The complete disregard that this Government continues to show the Mid-West with respect to access to healthcare is incredible.

Violet Anne Wynne said the 'complete disregard that this Government continues to show the Mid-West with respect to access to healthcare is incredible'. Picture: Brian Arthur

"In 2022, the busiest year on record for UHL, the A&E saw 79,981 patients, representing a 4% increase on the previous year. This is significant enough without even considering that in the same year an additional 9,180 patients left A&E without receiving care," she said.

"It is noteworthy that the month which saw the most patients leave the A&E without treatment was December 2022, the month in which the hospital had to declare a major internal incident due to record high overcrowding."

The figures come just days after frontline staff said that they are fearful about what the winter will bring as the hospital struggles to cope with “unprecedented” August overcrowding.

The HSE has said previously that the purpose of emergency departments is to deal with “serious and unexpected illness and injury”, but that often people with less serious conditions attend EDs, before leaving to get treatment elsewhere.

Another set of figures released to Limerick Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan shows that 5,058 appointments were cancelled at the hospital in the first six months of 2023. 

The Irish Examiner  this week revealed that nationally there are 700 such appointments moved or cancelled every day.

Mr Quinlivan said the HSE had acknowledged that admissions through the emergency department account for 83% of inpatient beds, leaving little capacity for elective activity.

"The overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick is having a dramatic impact on patient care for those awaiting hospital appointments," he said.

"The cancellation of elective activity to accommodate this overcrowding has resulted in long waiting lists.

“We need a multi-annual plan to expand hospital capacity and develop a sustainable workforce.

The cancellation of elective procedures is an ongoing problem at University Hospital Limerick and it is due to the continued failure by successive governments to address the trolley crisis at our hospital.

“This is happening because the Government has decided not to make the necessary investments in hospital care or in community care," he said.

"There is a deficit of 1,000 acute inpatient beds in hospitals, and there are now more than 6,000 people waiting for home support across the State."

A spokesperson for UHL said: "University Hospital Limerick continues to manage very high attendances at its emergency department. A total of 79,891 patients attended our ED in 2022, the busiest year to date and an increase of 4% on 2021.

"The data in relation to patients who left the ED without completing their treatment is in line with expectations. For example, in the first six months of this year, a total of 3,200 patients left the ED in UHL without having completed their episode of care. This accounted for 6% of the total number of such patients in EDs around the country. UHL accounts for approximately 6% of overall ED activity in Ireland.

"The purpose of EDs is to deal with serious and unexpected illness and injury. We continue to see patients in our ED whose clinical needs could be more appropriately addressed by self-care, pharmacists, GPs, GP out-of-hours services and Injury Units."