Support team formed to try ease overcrowding crisis at UHL

University Hospital Limerick.

A support team has been formed to attempt to ease the overcrowding crisis at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and in the Mid-West region, the Health Minister and HSE chief announced on Tuesday.

The team includes former president of the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine Dr Fergal Hickey, HSE national director of acute hospitals and former manager at University Hospital Waterford (UHW) Grace Rothwell as well as the Director of Nursing and Integration at UHW Orla Kavanagh.

The team is to begin work immediately and is expected to work for four weeks on actions targeting overcrowding at UHL.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said he is “concerned” about the ongoing pressures in the region.

“We need to provide reassurance to the people of the Mid-West region and address the very serious pressures on the services,” he said.

“While a number of interventions have been made, I have spoken to the [HSE] chief executive [Bernard Gloster] of the need to address this situation immediately. The support team should deliver an improvement for patients quickly.” 

Bernard Gloster said the HSE is aware of the pressures in many hospitals linked to trolley numbers.

“This is recognised by the HSE as a key safety concern and a variety of ongoing assurances are necessary in such situations,” he said.

“While challenged in a small number of sites we are particularly so in Limerick at this time. Patient flow involves the whole of the Health Service and we are using our own internal mechanisms to support the Mid-West Region for the next number of weeks.” The team will work with Sandra Broderick, the HSE regional executive officer for the region across hospitals, public health and community care, he said.

They will “manage patient flow and de-escalate the current pressures being experienced.”

This follows comments by Mr Donnelly at the weekend that he was “very conscious” people in the region wish to see one of three now-closed emergency departments in smaller hospitals re-opened.

This is not the first time a specialist team has been sent to support UHL, with the HSE in 2022 sending in the Performance Management Improvement Unit to support the site.

However locals, including members of the Midwest Hospital Campaign, say the overcrowding is linked to the high patient numbers at UHL since smaller emergency departments were closed down in 2009.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said that any measure to alleviate pressure is to be welcomed. 

“The INMO is looking forward to meeting this team at the first available opportunity to give our perspective and views on what can and should be implemented in the Mid West.

“The provision of safe and timely care must be the priority for this team.

“As stated previously by the INMO, the only measure of success for patients in the Mid West will be permanently reducing the number of patients on trolleys.”

The union reported on Tuesday that 1,971 people spent a night on a trolley at UHL during April, the highest number of any hospital in the State.

Referring to the national trolley figure for last month, INMO general secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha said: “By any standard this is unacceptable but to see this type of overcrowding during a month when it is traditionally quieter is a clear indicator that the HSE’s current plans are not working.”