The UL Hospitals Group has declined to confirm whether the new Emergency Department at Dooradoyle is still on target to be open next May.
The UL Hospitals Group has declined to confirm whether the new Emergency Department at Dooradoyle is still on target to be open next May.
The target date has been questioned since this week's publication of the HSE's Service Plan which said it would not be fully operational until the fourth quarter of next year.
The UL Hospitals Group has today welcomed the inclusion of funding for the opening of the new Emergency Department at University hospital Limerick in the HSE's National Service plan.
But in a statement to Clare FM, no committment has been made on the opening date of the new unit.
Instead, it says the recruitment of staff and commissioning of equipment is ongoing in an effort to open the new facility as soon as possible.
The hospital says its acutely aware of the challenges faced by patients and staff, and has reiterated that the current emergency department is not fit for purpose due to it's size and the high volume of patients attending.
Reassurances have been offered that the new state-of-the-art emergency department will be triple the size, and once opened patient experiences will improve immeasurably in terms of comfort, privacy and dignity.
A Clare member of the HSE's Regional Health Forum West says she's now sceptical of any of the dates in question.
Mayor of Ennis Ann Norton says she's doubtful the new unit will be up and running at any stage in 2017.
Statement from UL Hospitals Group:
