The CEO of the HSE says he has ‘not been engaged’ on exploring the possibility of an elective hospital in the Midwest region.
It follows repeated calls from elected representatives here to look at the move, despite it not being included under the Slaintecare plan.
Former HSE Director General Tony O’ Brien claimed in an exclusive interview with Clare FM back in January that an elective-only hospital for the Midwest should be prioritised over anywhere else in the country.
That’s despite the all-party Slaintecare plan only providing for such facilities in Dublin, Cork and Galway.
Since then, a number of elected representatives in Clare have been banging the drum for an elective facility to be built in this region, to little avail, with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly sticking to what’s now Government policy not to build one.
The possibility has been raised once more at a briefing to Oireachtas Health Committee members on Slaintecare’s progress by members of the HSE and Department of Health this morning.
Addressing questioning from Clare Fine Gael Senator Martin Conway, Paul Reid says while discussions on an elective facility may be taking place locally, they haven’t progressed to national level.
It comes on a day when record levels of overcrowding are persisting at UHL.
100 people were waiting for a bed in Dooradoyle as of this morning according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, which is the third day in a row that number has breached three figures.
An expert group commissioned by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is continuing to compile a report into addressing the overcrowding crisis at UHL.
HSE Director Liam Woods says there’s been a particular emphasis in tackling patient flow issues in Limerick during the course of the group’s work.
The expert group is set to present its findings to the HSE and Department of Health before the end of this month.
Listen back to the full committee audio here…
