Homeless people presenting to UHL with 'chest pains' so they can have warm place to sleep

Number of rough sleepers in Limerick City has surged in recent years, with demand for homeless accommodation exceeding supply, charity says

Rough sleepers presenting to University Hospital Limerick's emergency department 'because it's safe, it's sheltered, it's warm, and it's somewhere that people can go throughout the night'. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

A number of homeless people have been presenting at University Hospital Limerick’s emergency department claiming to have chest pains so they can have somewhere warm to spend the night.

In the region, about 60 people are sleeping rough, an unprecedented number according to Novas, a charity largely based in the Mid-West which is working with people who are homeless, or at the risk of becoming so.