Praise for healthcare workers at council meeting

Public health staff are “very tired and very fatigued and need rest” in anticipation of another wave of Covid-19 cases, the CEO of UL Hospitals Group told local representatives this week. 

In a presentation to Tipperary Co Council on Monday, Colette Cowan praised the work of healthcare staff throughout the Mid West since the pandemic struck in March. Ms Cowan mentioned in particular the staff at Nenagh hospital, which, along with Ennis and St John's in Limerick, took on extra patients at the height of the pandemic. 

The Emergency Department in Limerick was clear of patients for several weeks as members of the public stopped attending during the crisis. However attendance numbers have now returned to high levels, Ms Cowan advised. 

The CEO outlined plans to provide dozens more single occupancy rooms at the Limerick hospital in the immediate future, including provision of a 60-bed block at the end of October or early November. 
Maria Bridgeman, Chief Officer, Mid West Community Healthcare, also addressed Monday's meeting in Thurles. She traced the HSE response back to March 4th, when the first confirmed case of Covid-19 was recorded in the Mid West.

 

COMMUNITY TESTING CENTRES 
Ms Bridgeman spoke also of the setting up of community testing centres later in the month, including those at the Derg Centre in Nenagh and Semple Stadium in Thurles. 

At one point approximately 200 staff were engaged in running the seven-day test service in the Mid West, and this included testing meat factory employees.  

Ms Bridgeman also mentioned how local healthcare workers are "extremely tired", having worked long hours over recent weeks. She spoke of how staff became ill and had to self-isolate for 14 days or became absent through being immuno-compromised. This led to even greater pressure on the health service, though the workers took great encouragement from the voluntary sector, which she wished to acknowledge. 

The Chief Officer mentioned the opening of a medical assessment hub at Cré House in Roscrea among other centres. These did not meet the through-put that was expected, though the HSE is looking at other means of utilising the centres to deal with future need.

MANAGING THE CRISIS 
Dr Mai Mannix, Director of Public Health in the Mid West, spoke of how the local Public Health workforce of 14 had to employ more than 50 extra staff to manage the crisis. Among the figures she mentioned were the number of Covid-19 deaths in North Tipperary, which stand at 19. 

Ms Mannix appealed to people to remain mindful of the virus, to stay at home if they feel unwell and to phone their GP. "We are likely to see further surges," she said. "Other pandemics have had second and third waves. It is inevitable. We just don't know when it is going to come." 

Several councillors joined with Cathaoirleach Cllr Michael Smith (FF) in applauding the Mid West HSE directors and their staff on the efforts over the last four months. Cllr Seamus Hanafin noted there had been a "negative narrative" about health officials in the time before Covid-19 but the perspective has changed for the better now. 

Cllr Ger Darcy (FG) accepted that more beds are needed in Limerick, but he said the pandemic experience again proved the value of Nenagh hospital and he called for the extension of Nenagh's Local Injuries Unit to a 24-hour service.

THANKFUL TO HSE 
Cllr Joe Hannigan (Ind) wondered whether the work achieved in Ireland would be undone by allowing people enter the country from overseas areas with high infection rates, such as the United States. "Are we kicking the ball away?" he asked, suggesting that the council should write to the Government questioning the "sanity" of permitting visitor entry from such locations. 

Cllr Noel Coonan (FG) sought an update on the Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit in Roscrea and plans for the provision of future nursing home care. He and Cllr Shane Lee (Ind) also wanted to know when the Shannondoc service would be reinstated at Cré House. Cllr Lee said people in Roscrea were thankful of the HSE response to the outbreak of Covid-19 at the local Rosderra factory. 

Also among the speakers was Cllr Siobhán Ambrose (FF), who wanted to know if there is an explanation for the comparatively low number of coronavirus cases in South Tipperary, where just 115 of Tipperary's total of 543 were recorded. 

Ms Bridgeman invited councillors to submit their all of their queries by email. Ms Cowan joined in praising public support of healthcare staff when the pandemic hit. Morale had been "very low" at the outset of the crisis but it has improved in the time since, she said.