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HSE To Ensure Patients Won’t Wait In ED For Over 24 Hours

The HSE is looking to ensure that no patient is left waiting for a bed in an Emergency Department for over 24 hours.

The goal is listed in its Service Plan for 2018 which was published last evening.

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However, the target seems to be an ambitious one in this region, where University Hospital Limerick has consistantly been one of the busiest in the country, even since the opening of a new ED there in May.

A survey of patients, published earlier this month, found that over a quarter of patients at the hospital in May had waited at least 24 hours for admission from the Emergency Department.

Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation expressed disappointment that the plan falls short of meeting the growing demands of the public health services.

President of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr. Ann Hogan, warns trolley numbers, waiting lists and quality levels across the health service will all deteriorate next year despite an apparent rise in health spending.

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