'More than 300 extra beds needed by 2036 in University of Limerick hospital group' - report

THERE needs to be an extra 302 inpatient beds by 2036 at hospitals in the region to meet demand, a new report has stated.

And extra staff need to be put in the University Hospital Limerick (UHL) emergency department (ED) as an “immediate priority”.

Financial firm Deloitte was commissioned by the chief executive of the University of Limerick Hospitals Group (ULHG) Colette Cowan to put measures in place to address the overcrowding crisis, particularly at the emergency department (ED) in University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

And its chief call is for an extra 302 inpatient beds at UHL, and the other five hospitals under the umbrella of the hospitals group.

These, the report states, are needed to “meet current unmet demand, future demand, and to replace outdated infrastructure in multi-occupancy wards.”

The intervention comes a week after Ms Cowan warned that the 96-bed unit due to start being built next month will not be enough to service demand.

The Deloitte report also calls for an additional 63 day beds by 2036, and additional medical and nursing staff in the ED.

The implementation of a range of admissions avoidance initiatives is recommended, greater integration with community services in line with Slaintecare; and an upgrade in ICT infrastructure and systems across the acute and community health sectors.

Deloitte was put in place to undertake this review in March 2022, prior to the intervention of Health Minister Stephen Donnelly in assigning a national team to support UHL in alleviating hospital overcrowding and improving patient flow.

In completing the report, Deloitte undertook a detailed analysis of data from 2019 to 2022 and projected demand out to 2036.

It called on ULHG to address what it described as “significant deficits” on health and social care professionals on wards to facilitate admissions avoidance and earlier discharge.

Dooradoyle hosts the region’s only ED, and saw 76,473 patients attending last year, a record.

Improvements to key bus service in Limerick

Between 2019 and 2021, there was an increase of 7% in ED attendances at UHL and an increase of 11% in inpatient discharges and 15% in bed nights across the UL Hospitals Group.

An analysis of hospital group catchments across the country shows ULHG to have the fewest inpatient beds per 1,000 people as well as the lowest consultant and nursing staffing levels per capita.

The report found outdated multi-occupancy inpatient wards, accounting for 199 of the current 530 inpatient beds at UHL, cause significant additional challenges on infection control and patient flow.

Reacting to the findings, Ms Cowan said: “The report makes further recommendations on process improvements which are in line with Slaintecare. The proposed Regional Health Area for the Mid-West will be the smallest in the country and will bring together acute and community services whose operational areas are already aligned. This provides an opportunity to accelerate integrated care pathways; to reduce demand on acute hospitals and to provide care as close as possible to the patient.”