Public encouraged to attend St John's Injury Unit for non-emergencies

A WOMAN has shared her experience of being treated at St John's Hospital Limerick to encourage people to attend the hospital for treatment if necessary. 

More than 12,500 patients attended the St John's Injury unit in 2021, one of which was Clare resident Kate Gilroy. 

In October of last year, during renovations of the kitchen in her Cratloe home, a granite counter-top crashed on to one of Clare's feet, flattening her big toe.

She said: "Luckily, I have a relative who works in healthcare, and who was able to tell me that there was an Injury Unit at St John’s Hospital, and that would be the best place to go.

As I was being driven to Limerick, I didn’t know what to expect. I have no experience of hospitals, apart from having my children. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before."

The mother of three is now well on the way to a full recovery and she remembers the professionalism and swiftness of the staff at St John's.

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“When we got to St John’s the first surprise was the access, and the fact that we were able to drive right up to the front door. Given the injury, that was really important.

"Also, they saw me straight away. At that point, my foot was just dripping in blood. What really surprised me was how quickly the staff took control and immediately put me at my ease.”

On duty that day was Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner (RANP), Suzanne Lynch. 

Kate recalls: “I can’t speak highly enough of Suzanne and her colleagues, and the care they gave me that day. I was gripped by fear and didn’t even want to look at my injury, but after making sure that I had the proper pain relief, she calmly talked me and my husband through what she was going to do.

"And by the time I’d come back from X-ray she was able to reassure me that I would be okay, and she was able to treat and dress the injury and discharge me in what seemed like a very short period of time – certainly a lot shorter than I’d been expecting.”

RANP Suzanne Lynch is  keen to ensure that the public take all injuries, even minor injuries, seriously, and to get medical attention if necessary.

“Our Injury Units are open to treat injuries like Kate’s seven days a week, 365 days a year. One of the things we’ve noticed in the past year, is people not presenting with injuries early.

"If you have an injury such as a cut, or a sprain or a burn, for example, it’s important to get it attended to sooner rather than later. The longer you leave things, the greater the chances are that you will have a more complicated recovery.”