An inspection of University Hospital Limerick has found overcrowding is impacting on the “dignity and privacy” of patients.
A new HIQA report on the region’s main hospital has found the facility’s emergency department to be ineffective in managing patient flow.
The Health Information and Quality Authority conducted an unannounced inspection of University Hospital Limerick on November 21st 2023.
The health watchdog has found the continued state of escalation at UHL isn’t sustainable in reference to overcrowding.
Patients commented on the “long wait” for decision to admit or discharge as well as the long waits for an inpatient bed.
One patient claimed they had no way to call nurses and had to wait for a staff member to pass by to get assistance.
Another commented “they keep moving me up and down the corridor to make room” and “it is so difficult to sleep on the corridor”.
The report stated that risks of harm to patients at University Hospital Limerick are not being fully managed.
Ultimately, it has found the emergency department is ineffective in managing patient flow.
It did find improvements compared to the previous inspection carried out at the facility but said patient wait times continued to fall short of national targets.
