THE MAIN union representing nurses has called for an urgent review of services at a Limerick hospital, claiming that patient care is now “severely compromised” by overcrowding.
The Irish Nurses’ and Midwives’ Organisation said 45 patients were waiting for a hospital bed yesterday at the Midwestern Regional Hospital, including 11 patients “behind doors” or on corridors in already full wards.
A further 24 patients were in the emergency department and 10 were in a transit lounge.
The HSE contested the figures.
According to the organisation, an additional 135 beds were required at the hospital as part of a reconfiguration of services in the midwest over the last 18 months. It said these had not been provided.
It added that it had predicted that the closure of beds in Ennis and Nenagh would cause “huge difficulties” for Limerick without the implementation of this key recommendation of the Teamwork consultants’ report.
That claim had been rejected by the HSE, the union said.
The union called on the Health Information and Quality Authority to undertake an urgent review of services at the Limerick hospital.
The HSE said the claims by the nursing union did not reflect a true picture of patients awaiting admission at the hospital yesterday. It said there were 24 patients, not 45, awaiting admission at 8am.
“The balance of 21 patients had been properly admitted and were being cared for as inpatients either in wards or in the transit lounge.
“At 2pm, that figure of 24 patients awaiting admission had further reduced to 14. This reflects the fact that the normal flow and procedures within the hospital means that at any given time there are people waiting for admission to the hospital.”