Nenagh hospital looks set to take extra patients from UHL

The way appears to have been cleared to allow certain categories of patients taken to Limerick to instead be admitted to Nenagh hospital, in an apparent climbdown on the long-held policy stipulating that all cases involving emergency calls be admitted solely to University Hospital Limerick.

The new protocol that now looks set to be extended to Nenagh was introduced in Ennis Hospital last week, where ambulances crews responding to emergency 999/112 calls were told that some of these cases could be brought to Ennis - a departure from the stipulation that such patients be transported only to University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

Collette Cowan, the CEO of the UL Hospital Group, said the new arrangements in place in Ennis could also be rolled out to Nenagh and Saint John's hospital in Limerick.

“We are pleased with the progress of this initiative in its initial days,” said Ms Cowen of the protocol, which came into effect in Ennis last Monday week.

She said the new protocol was still under evaluation, adding: “However, we have every expecation of success for this new pathway, with a view to continuing the servivce in Ennis Medical Unit and, with the agreement of NAS (National Ambulance Service) and the HSE, expanding it to our medical assessment units in Nenagh and St John's Hospital.”

Reacting to the announcment, Fianna Fail TD Jackie Cahill said: “Local people need and deserve to be treated locally. Nenagh hospital is a fantastic facility and should be utilised more to keep patients out of UHL, where possible and clinically appropriate to do so.”

For the past decade and a half fulltime emergency services have controversially been closed in Nenagh, Ennis and Saint John's and all such cases instead diverted to UHL, which has consistently struggled to cope with the extra influx of patients presenting.

Deputy Cahill welcomed separate confirmation from the Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly that the HSE is looking into enhancing the operations of the Medical Assessment Unit at Nenagh Hospital to tackle the overcrowding issues in UHL.

He said extra services were now needed in Nenagh to cater for the new cases that he expected to be treated in the local hospital in future.

“I believe that the operating hours of Nenagh Hospital need to be expanded and that a full suite of measures - including an ICU and appropriate staffing - are required to support this. I have repeatedly made this point to the Minister for Health over the last number of years,” he said.

Nenagh Independent councillor and Regional Health Forum West member Seamus Morris said of the moves to divert certain medical cases away from UHL to Nenagh: “UHL management were forced into doing the logical thing of relaxing the ambulance bypass protocols by the near collapse of emergency services in the Mid-West over the Christmas.”

ABOVE CAPACITY

Meanwhile, all hospitals in the Mid West are still running above capacity this week due to an increase in illnesses such as flu and other respiratory illnesses.

Day surgery remains cancelled in Nenagh and Ennis hospitals and the operating times of medical assessment units in both Nenagh and Saint John's Hospital have been extended on a temporary basis from five to seven day opening.

UL Hospitals said both Nenagh and Saint John's have opened up additional capacity for inpatients.

It said patients whose day surgery is being cancelled will be contacted directly by HSE staff.

Outpatient clinics and endoscopy at Nenagh and Ennis continue as scheduled and patients are advised to attend for their appointments.

Limited elective surgery resumed at UHL last Monday as well as at St John's and Croom Orthopaedic hospitals on Monday. Outpatient clinics are also running as scheduled at these three hospitals and at the University Maternity Hospital.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Mr Donnelly were among the politicians who sat in on a virtul briefing by UL Hospitals for politicians last Thursday's, their attendance, perhaps, an inidication of the seriousness with which the hospital crisis in the Mid West is being by government.

Management informed them that the major internal incident declared at UHL on January 2 had now been stood down due to a reduction in numbers presenting at the Emergency Department.

However, all hospitals are still operating above capacity this week and staff remain on high alert due to a seasonal peak in certain illnesses.

Separately, a protest march over the ongoing patient overcrowding at UHL is due to take place in Limerick this Saturday starting at 11am for City Hall, Merchant's Quay.