The MidWest Hospital Campaign is criticising a new report examining patient flow in the region’s hospitals for failing to speak to frontline staff or patients.
The Deloitte UL Hospital’s Patient Flow Report was published on Friday and recommends an additional 302 beds across the group’s six hospitals by 2036.
Commissioned by the UL Hospital’s Group in March 2022, the Deloitte report sought to address the ongoing overcrowding issues facing the region’s main hospital.
It’s recommendations follow the publication of a HIQA inspection, which produced a damning report criticising University Hospital Limerick for failing to provide privacy or dignity to its dying patients.
The unannounced inspection led the Health Inspector to deem overcrowding at the Emergency Department at UHL as posing a ‘significant risk’ to the health and welfare of people in the department.
The Deloitte UL Hospital’s Group Patient Flow Report has issued a number of recommendations, including: the provision of an additional 302 inpatient beds by 2036 to meet current and future demand, an immediate increase in medical and nursing staff in the ED and additional staff to extend the opening hours of the Acute Medical Unit.
However, criticism has been levelled at the report for its failure to seek the input of anyone below management level.
Member of the MidWest Hospital Campaign, Noeleen Moran, says the failure to speak to frontline staff or patients means this report differs greatly to the findings of the HIQA report.
A Clare Independent TD is echoing these concerns.
Scariff-based Independent TD Michael McNamara is highlighting how this latest report didn’t address the findings of the HIQA inspection which claimed that there was an inadequate management of existing resources at the Dooradoyle facility.
While, Deputy McNamara acknowledges that the hospital is under-resourced, he isn’t confident that current arrangements maximise the assets available to the ED.
Listen back to the full interview here:
It comes as the Deloitte report has recommended that the number of doctors and nursing staff in the Emergency Department be increased as a matter of urgency.
Ennistymon Fine Gael Senator, and his party’s Seanad spokesperson on health, Martin Conway, believes we need to to increase wages to attract and retain staff.
