Press Statement Monday 11th December 2019
HSE Funding Call to Immediately Open 15 Beds in St. John’s – O’Donnell
-All Available Hospital & Nursing home bed capacity must be put to use for the patients of Limerick & Mid-West
Limerick Senator Kieran O’Donnell has today written to the National Director of HSE Acute Operations, Liam Woods calling for immediate funding to be made available to UHL Group to enable up to 20 beds not in use in St. John’s Hospital, Limerick to be put into immediate use. This involves putting a multi-disciplinary medical team into St. John’s, consisting of a Medical Consultant, Registrar and SHO. An application has been made by the UHL Group to HSE Acute operations to this effect.
This follows today’s meeting Senator O’Donnell held with UHL management to discuss the overcrowding at UHL. Earlier he had discovered that at present there is up to 15-20 beds not in use (out of a total bed capacity of 89) in St. John’ s Hospital, Limerick.
“ I was shocked to learn that there are up to 20 beds not in use at St. John’s Hospital Limerick, when we have a bed capacity crisis in UHL. When you consider that the total bed capacity in St. John’s is 89, this non-use of up to 20 available hospital beds is completely unacceptable.
“UHL Management today advised me that they have made a submission to the HSE National Director, Acute Operations for the approval of funding of a Multi-disciplinary team to be based in St. John’s Hospital. This team would include the following medics:-
- 1 Medical Consultant
- 1 Registrar
- 1 SHO
Senator O’Donnell continued “This situation completely defies logic, when we have an on-going bed capacity crisis at UHL. I have written to HSE National Director Liam Woods (see below email) to ask that the funding for the multi-disciplinary team application be approved and allocated with immediate effect.
“Furthermore, it is my understanding that when this funding is made available, this multi-disciplinary team could be put in place within one week. I would expect HSE management to treat this matter with the urgency it deserves.
“While the longer term bed capacity issues are being dealt with – such as the current construction of 60 bed block and planned further 96 acute beds, we also must maximise the use of current resources across the UL hospitals group, which includes UHL, St. John’s Hospital, Croom, Nenagh and Ennis.
“Recent action to reduce the overcrowding in Limerick have included the provision of a 2nd MRI Scanner which will come into operation next week (16th Dec), and a third Ultra Sound Scanner which is now operational in UL.
“In addition to these actions, UL Hospitals Management must make full use of available Nursing home bed capacity in the region to further ease pressure on overcrowding in UHL.
“I will be raising these matters directly with the Minister for Health Simon Harris TD this week.
END.