A new €10.8 million emergency treatment department was opened today at Cork University Hospital (CUH) as nurses continue their protest to highlight overcrowding problems in A&E departments around the country.
The new emergency department, which has been finished but idle for several months, will be able to deal with around 50,000 patients a year; the old department treated around 42,000 people.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) management at CUH had met with Irish Nurses' Organisation (INO) representatives over the past few weeks to clarify staffing levels to ensure the opening of the facility. The HSE said staffing levels in the department had been increased by over 70 per cent.
The INO has already said the initiative would at least alleviate if not eliminate the overcrowding within accident and emergency at the hospital.
CUH's emergency department is now the only level one type trauma unit in the Republic. It has all the specialist services needed to deal with multiple trauma injuries, including neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery, orthopaedics and plastic surgery. A new Day Procedures Unit is expected to be open by the end of the year, which is expected to treat 10,000 day cases.
It also contains two x-ray examination rooms, 16 treatment places, an emergency eye treatment facility and a decontamination unit - to deal with people exposed to hazardous chemicals. The HSE said the new department has facilities for the family of critically ill patients, bereavement services and patient counselling.
The move comes a week after nurses began a series of protests outside hospitals around the country to draw attention to the overcrowding in A&E departments. Lunchtime protests are planned tomorrow at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin and Limerick Regional Hospital.
One Dublin hospital was taken off-call on Wednesday after fire officers were called in to inspect the A&E department. Complaints had been received that fire exits in Tallaght Hospital were being blocked. More than 60 patients were left on trolleys.