Fresh calls have been made for increased capacity at Ennis General Hospital, as part of efforts to ease the overcrowding crisis at the region’s main hospital.
It follows a record-breaking 85 people on trolleys at University Hospital Limerick yesterday, the highest figure ever recorded on a single day at any Irish hospital.
The level of overcrowding has eased slightly today, as Clare FM’s Fiona Cahill reports.
The UL Hospitals Group is urging people not to attend the ED at University Hospital Limerick, unless it’s an emergency, following record-breaking trolley numbers there yesterday.
85 patients were left waiting on trolleys, according to INMO figures, the highest ever figure recorded on a single day in any hospital in Ireland.
The Dooradoyle facility is still the busiest in the country today, with 75 waiting to be admitted this morning, 15 more than the next busiest facility.
Kilmihil GP, Dr Michael Harty, who is the Chair of the Oireachtas Health Committee, is reiterating that it will take time to overhaul the entire health system.
But he believes that in the meantime, there are steps that can be taken to alleviate pressure on the ED.
A Clare member of the HSE’s Regional Health Forum West, meanwhile, claims there’s now a huge political responsibility on the Health Minister to immediately address the overcrowding issue at Dooradoyle.
Kilkee Fianna Fáil Councillor Cillian Murphy also believes the HSE should fund private nursing homes for use as step-down care facilities.
