Gloster has 'no fear' about care at UHL despite overcrowding 

Elective procedures were postponed earlier this week due to the high number of patients attending the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick

University Hospital Limerick: Some 450 patients in the region have had their surgery postponed since the beginning of the year. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

HSE boss Bernard Gloster said he did not "have any fear of the clinical care" for people presenting at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) despite consistent overcrowding that have saw planned surgeries postponed there for two days in a row.

Elective procedures were postponed earlier this week due to the high number of patients attending the emergency department at the hospital, however, they are due to resume at all hospitals in the UHL group on Thursday morning.

Some 450 patients in the region have had their surgery postponed since the beginning of the year.

The HSE chief executive said conditions at UHL were "completely not acceptable" and he was not satisfied resources were being used in the best way.

However, Mr Gloster said he was confident for people to use services at UHL.

If you need to go to hospital, you can go to that hospital, you should go to that hospital. I live in that area myself, my family go to that hospital. 

"I don't have any fear of the clinical care for people presenting at that hospital, I think it's important to say that," he said.

But Mr Gloster acknowledged the HSE had a long way to go in terms of rescheduling cancelled procedures and accepted UHL needed more beds.

“A lot has happened in the 13 years since reconfiguration, and certainly Limerick didn't finish up with the beds that would have been expected at the time. 

"The investment in community health care across the country has fundamentally changed also, so there is very significant investment in resources there. 

"I'm not satisfied we're using it all in the best way that we can. So Limerick needs more, but we also need to do different with what we have," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

When asked about the number of emergency medicine consultants at UHL, Mr Gloster said there was a “headcount” of 14 which is “about 11 whole-time equivalent”. 

He acknowledged Limerick had a “very low uptake” of consultant doctors under the new public-only consultant contracts.

The emergency medicine consultants in Limerick work very hard and work very long hours, he said. But there are “serious challenges” at the weekends.

Despite the recent disruptions, Mr Gloster went on to praise staff at the hospital.

"There is a lot of really good work done by a lot of really good people in the hospital in Limerick, and I think it's important that we keep in perspective and that we don't make presumptions," he concluded.

Limerick Fianna Fáil TD Willie O'Dea believes the 'fundamental problem in the Mid-West' is the population. File picture: Brendan Gleeson

Meanwhile, Limerick Fianna Fáil TD Willie O'Dea has welcomed the news elective surgeries have now been resumed.

“Let’s hope the 450 people who have been waiting for treatments since the start of the year, some of them very seriously ill, will have their treatment rescheduled as quickly as possible," he said.

He also thanked staff there who "are working under extremely difficult conditions".

When people come to me to complain about University Hospital Limerick, and God knows quite a few do, one thing they all agree on is that the staff are outstanding.

Mr O'Dea said he had "raised the matter several times in the Dáil" with the Taoiseach and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.

However, he believes the "fundamental problem in the Mid-West" is the population.

"The capacity of UHL to deal with a population of that size is simply not sufficient," he said.

While a new block is under construction to provide 96 extra beds, Mr O'Dea said there were "two difficulties with this".

"First of all, it won’t be open for business for at least another 12 months. They have to get planning permission and put out it to tender etc.

“And secondly, local HSE resources insist that it won’t provide for 96 beds net, it will be 96 beds gross, as some of those will be replacement beds.

“The net increase will be about 50-55 beds and that’s against the background of an aging and increasing population," he said.

According to Mr O'Dea, the situation at the hospital "is not management's fault" but rather "a political failure".

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However, he defended Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.

"I know that the minister for health is responsible for increasing staff upon the thousand in UHL. The hospital is persistently overcrowded but in fairness to the minister, he has commissioned the provision of that new block, and another 99-bed block is ready to go.

“In addition to that, the minister has provided for a surgical hub which will take some of the pressure off the hospital, so from that point of view, the minister has been working very hard to resolve the problem, but the lack of capacity remains, and I am worried that this is going to grow," Mr O'Dea said.