HSE urged to ‘purchase Barringtons hospital to alleviate overcrowding’ at UHL

FORMER Labour leader Alan Kelly has called for the HSE to purchase Barrington’s Hospital to ease the overcrowding crisis.

Mr Kelly believes the facility at George’s Quay in Limerick city centre, could be run as an elective hospital in the short-to-medium term.

“It’s already set up and would need little modification to act as an elective hospital. We need more public capacity, not private hospitals,” he said.

At present, Barringtons Hospital is run by the Bon Secours group as a private facility, having previously served as a public infirmary.

Mr Kelly said what’s happening at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) represents a “travesty” for people of the Mid-West region.

“In the short-term there needs to be a complete refocus on better community care outcomes. The relationship between acute and community care needs to be a hand-in-glove relationship especially to facilitate timely acute discharges and keeping people living at home for as long as possible,” said the Tipperary TD.

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“The historical decision to create a centre of excellence in UHL for cancer care and other disciplines was not the wrong one. The decision to close local accident and emergency (A&E) units and critical care units before the total infrastructure was in place in UHL and indeed across the hospital network of UHL, Nenagh, Ennis and St John’s was. I warned of this at the time, and we are all now paying for this, and it’s not acceptable,” said Mr Kelly, who also represented Limerick in the European Parliament between 2009 and 2011.

He said he has put all these ideas and issues to the government, the Taoiseach of the day, and the present Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.

“I’ll continue to do so. The government often derides the opposition for not offering solutions. I’m offering some. It’s beyond time they listened,” he concluded.

Earlier this week, the Limerick Leader/Limerick Live revealed that the city is to be home to a new private facility designed to slash waiting lists for non-urgent day procedures.

Mr Donnelly, who outlined the plan in a briefing with TDs from across the region, said he hopes it can be delivered in 18 months.

As it stands, Limerick has not been earmarked for a new elective hospital, with Cork and Galway in line for these. It’s understood Mr Donnelly has not closed the door completely on this.