Government responds to overcrowding crisis at University Hospital Limerick

HEALTH Minister Stephen Donnelly and the chief executive of the HSE Bernard Gloster have announced a support team to address the pressures on health services in the region.

The team is to begin work immediately and over the next four weeks are tasked to help devise a number of actions designed in particular to ease overcrowding and pressure at the Emergency Department (ED) at University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

It comes after Limerick coroner John McNamara gave a verdict of misadventure in the case of Aoife Johnston, who died in the ED facility at Dooradoyle.

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The team is made up by national health service director Grace Rothwell, Orla Kavanagh, the director of nursing and integration in Waterford University Hospital.

They will be joined by retired emergency medicine consultant Dr Fergal Hickey.

Mr Donnelly said: "We need to provide re-assurance to the people of the Mid West region and address the very serious pressures on the services. While a number of interventions have been made, I have spoken to the Chief Executive of the need to address this situation immediately. The support team should deliver an improvement for patients quickly.”

Mr Gloster said: "The HSE is conscious of the pressures in various hospitals regarding the number of patients on trolleys awaiting admission. This is recognised by the HSE as a key safety concern and a variety of ongoing assurances are necessary in such situations. 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. This support team will now work with the regional executive officer and her team in community healthcare, public health and UL Hospitals to manage patient flow and de-escalate the current pressures being experienced."

Responding to the announcement, a spokesperson for the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said: "Any measures to alleviate the pressure on nurses and midwives in the Mid West region is to be welcomed. The provision of safe and timely care must be the priority for this team. As stated previously, the only measure of success for patients in the Mid West will be permanently reducing the number of patients on trolleys."