The HSE says the decision on where to locate a new hospital in the MidWest will be made entirely by the Government.
It comes as the Regional Executive Officer of HSE MidWest has promised to take all steps in her power to fast-track hospital overcrowding solutions in the region.
A timeline of 10 to 15 years has been floated for the delivery of a new Model 3 or Model 4 hospital in the MidWest.
It follows Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill’s decision to progress with all three of HIQA’s recommendations to tackle hospital overcrowding in the region.
These include increasing capacity at University Hospital Limerick which is already underway through the construction of a second new 96-bed block, extending the UHL campus to a nearby site and delivering a new hospital with an emergency department on a greenfield site.
HSE MidWest REO Sandra Broderick has told Clare FM’s Morning Focus that the next step is to acquire a suitable site and go to planning as soon as possible.
46 patients were recorded on trolleys at UHL by nurses and midwives during this morning’s rounds and although this is relatively low for the facility, it’s still the busiest hospital in the country today.
It’s understood that roughly 25% of all patients attending the hospital are presenting from Clare, with campaigners frequently calling for a new model 3 or model 4 to be developed in this county.
Sandra Broderick says, however, that this will be entirely the government’s decision.
You can listen to the full interview here:
