HSE Mid-West is in a crisis like never before - Labour TD

LABOUR TD Alan Kelly says that the Mid-West is facing possibly the biggest crisis yet and that the way University Hospital Limerick and the region are operating is not sustainable.

Speaking after a HSE Mid-West briefing to Oireachtas members, Deputy Kelly said: “It was the most depressing meeting I’ve ever had with the HSE in 20 years as a public representative.

“In fairness to the HSE regional officials they were saying it out straight, that they are not being supported and we are facing into an unprecedented crisis over the winter months especially if we have a major flu outbreak. Possibly the biggest crisis ever.”

He added: “The fact is that it is not sustainable for University Hospital Limerick and the Mid-West in general to continue to operate like it does.

“Our region is moving into a dangerous situation when it comes to healthcare. The officials in the Mid-West are calling for help from public representatives and I along with others must heed this call.”

Deputy Kelly stressed that UHL are seeing record levels of admissions to the emergency department, elective procedures across the region will likely be cancelled causing further issues down the line and that hundreds of critical posts remain unfulfilled.

“This is despite the region being one of the best from a budgetary perspective within the HSE.

“The failure to fill critical posts is creating governance issues across the Mid-West and this is deeply worrying. Attrition of staff is currently outstripping recruitment which is damning given it has been constantly shown for decades that the Mid-West has for decades been discriminated against when it came to allocation of resources.

“The Mid-West Health Planning Board hasn’t even decided that the Mid-West even needs another hospital and it has no role whatsoever in helping at an interim level with the crisis in the Mid-West. This is quite shocking.”

Deputy Kelly is now calling on the Minister for Health to hold a crisis meeting with the HSE to address this.

“We need one plan for the coming Winter, a second plan for the next 3-5 years and then a long-term plan. It seems the Mid-West Health Planning Board isn’t functioning as expected or has a clear mandate that we all understand.

“This is potentially a very dangerous situation. Minister Carroll MacNeill needs to intervene now. She should meet with Oireachtas members in the Mid-West regularly to update us on her plans.”