*Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly visiting Ennis Hospital. Photograph: Brian Arthur
MINISTER FOR HEALTH, Stephen Donnelly (FF) has commissioned a review by HIQA into emergency care capacity in the Mid-West region.
This review according to the Department of Health will consider the case for a second emergency department in the region “in light of a big increase in the population in recent years and ongoing pressures at the Emergency Department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL)”.
Future reforms plus the additional capacity being added will be considered by the review. Terms of reference will be finalised and published once the upcoming review by retired judge Mr Justice Frank Clarke into the death of Shannon teenager Aoife Johnston has been considered to allow its findings and recommendations to be incorporated.
Overcrowding has continued to blight UHL’s ED, with trolley numbers rising by thirty nine percent so far this year, the Department admitted. The decision to close down smaller emergency departments such as Ennis and Nenagh in 2009 has been slammed but the Department insist this was based on “very clear clinical advice at the time”.
There has been a 44 percent increase in the UHL budget in five years, the Department stated. In 2019, UHL had a budget of €265m compared with €382m this year, a growth of €117m.
150 new beds have been opened in the UL Hospital Group (ULHG) since Jan 2020. This includes 108 beds in UHL (98 ward beds and 10 critical care). Investment has also included additional capacity at St. John’s, Croom Orthopaedic, Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals.
Clare TD, Cathal Crowe (FF) said the decision by Minister Donnelly to request a HIQA review into the acute hospital system in the Midwest, specifically looking at whether an additional A&E is needed is a landmark day for the region. “There are no foregone conclusions of the HIQA review but I strongly hope that the facts speak for themselves and that the result of the review is that an additional A&E is recommended and then pursued”.
He added, “Half a million people through one A&E is simply untenable and not experienced anywhere else in the country. I eagerly await further detail on this and hope that this will result in a positive outcome for healthcare in Clare and the wider region”.
Deputy Michael McNamara (IND) said the review must proceed without delay. “This will be welcome news for everybody in the Mid-West where a lot of people are afraid to avail of an essential government service at UHL because of the continuous disaster stories emanating from there”.
A candidate in Ireland South for the upcoming European elections, the Scariff man acknowledged, “The staff are under tremendous pressure, and I hope this review is quick and its conclusions are followed up speedily. We have a tendency in Ireland to announce reviews to get out of political pressure. I sincerely hope this not the case here”.
Friends of Ennis Hospital have welcomed the announcement by the Minister to complete the review. “It is particularly helpful that HIQA are going to be involved in this review as they are the ones who have seen first hand the situation in UHL and the other emergency departments around the country,” the group stated.
“FEH were the lone voice for many years calling for a second model 3 in the region. We did so without any political support apart from Deputies Cathal Crowe and Violet Anne Wynne. We thank them for their support in getting us to this place. We did so when some politicians told us we were wrong,” they added.
