Clare’s Fine Gael Senator believes there are ‘issues’ within the management structure of the UL Hospitals Group.
It comes as Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has visited University Hospital Limerick this morning having been called on by nurses at the facility to address record overcrowding levels.
Despite tens of millions of euro in government funding in the last number of years, along with a new 60 bed block and a new emergency department, overcrowding at UHL continues to be worse than at any other hospital in the country by some distance.
There are 72 patients on trolleys in Dooradoyle as of this morning according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
While it’s a fall from the 96 patients waiting for a bed yesterday, UHL is still by far the most overcrowded facility nationwide yesterday, with trolley numbers having peaked as high as 111 last month.
Minister Stephen Donnelly is understood to have met with senior staff and other stakeholders in Limerick this morning.
It follows calls from nurses for HIQA or another body to undertake an independent review on the reasoning behind the consistent high numbers of people on trolleys in Limerick.
Clare Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway, who’s his party’s Seanad spokesperson on health, says funding has been provided by government for whatever has been asked for.
One proposal from some elected representatives and other stakeholders would see the likes of Ennis Hospital reverting back to a model three hospital and reopening its emergency department.
However, a senior director of the HSE says he says he doesn’t see any benefit in that suggestion.
Addressing the Oireachtas Health Committee, Liam Woods doesn’t believe upgrading Ennis and Nenagh’s facilities is necessarily the answer to the problems in Limerick.
Clare’s Fianna Fail TD says an analysis of where and how funding allocated towards the UL Hospitals Group is being spent needs to be undertaken.
Deputy Cathal Crowe claims ‘middle management’ in the health service are unhappy at the highly-publicised salaries of HSE CEO Paul Reid and Department of Health Secretary General Robert Watt.
