Review of healthcare in Limerick region ‘clinically-led’

SINN FEIN health spokesperson David Cullinane says if his party is in the next government, he’ll order a “comprehensive review” into healthcare in the region.

He made the comments after meeting staff and management at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) which has once again been in the headlines.

It comes with the emergency department having a record 130 patients on trolleys in the last week.

“My starting point is I want the problem in the Mid-West to be fixed. It’s important we have the right solutions. We have committed to doing a very comprehensive review in a short, sharp way to be clinically-led and clinically underpinned. We need to look at the capacity constraints and our capacity needs in Limerick and look to see what’s the best way Ennis and Nenagh can help and assist in taking pressure off UHL,” said Mr Cullinane.

One of the key asks of a campaign to provide a better health service in the region is the restoration of emergency facilities in Clare and Tipperary.

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The Sinn Fein TD stopped short of committing to this.

“It’s important politicians are not making clinical decisions. That we are getting information based off the best clinical advice.

In any major shift of the model of care the hospital provides, this must be clinically and medically underpinned,” he added.

“Whatever that review says, if the review says we need more emergency departments, that’s what we‘ll have to put in place. If the solution is building up more capacity in Limerick and making better use of other hospitals for day case procedures, that needs to be done,” he added.

“One thing’s for certain: the current configuration is not working,” added Mr Cullinane.

He admitted no health system will ever be perfect.

“But we can do better. And we will do better. It won’t be down to a lack of political will or funding. We’ll make the funding available, and we’ll target it to spend in areas which will have the maximum effect,” he pledged.