On Wednesday’s Morning Focus, Pat Flynn was joined by Ennis father Eamon O’Callaghan who waited four hours at University Hospital Limerick before being told his baby son’s appointment was postponed as no beds were available.
Statement From UL Hospitals Group:
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UL Hospitals Group cannot discuss with third parties the details of individual patients in our care as this would breach our duty of confidentiality to the individuals concerned. Maintaining confidentiality is both an ethical obligation on the HSE and a legal requirement defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Acts 1988-2018.
Our standard letter for confirming a scheduled admission for paediatric patients asks that the department’s admissions office in UHL be contacted on the day of the appointment to confirm availability of a bed and the time of admission.
Availability of beds is dependent on capacity, which can vary in turn depending on the level of demand for emergency services. Attendances and admissions to the hospital through the paediatrics emergency pathway have been particularly high in recent days and weeks.
We regret that no bed was available in this particular case, and we have been in contact with the family today to offer a rescheduled appointment.
UL Hospitals Group staff are happy to liaise directly with any service user or their family. Should any matter not be resolved to their satisfaction, they are encouraged to use the ‘Your Service Your Say’ complaints process, which can be accessed online at www.hse.ie/eng/services/feedback
