A Fianna Fáil Senator says there is nothing new in HSE plans to tackle chronic overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick.
Dee Ryan raised her concerns in the Upper House of the Oireachtas this morning as she called on the Minister for Health to outline what is planned to prepare for the seasonal surge in presentations at the Accident and Emergency Department in UHL.
The hospital provides the only Emergency Department for 450,000 people in North Tipp, Limerick and Clare.
Senator Ryan acknowledged progress made in increasing staffing numbers and the opening of a new 96 bed block next September together with another 96 bed unit in the pipeline.
“This all sounds like great news and we do understand that this will help alleviate the problem. But its not helping us in the here and now. We’re already very worried about this winter.
“We have the highest level of trolleys across the country. The majority of people presenting to A&E are elderly people – if an elderly loved one in my family has a slip or a trip and has to go into A&E they will be facing a much longer wait with less frequent access to care than any other person in the country. And that’s simply not fair and the people of the midwest are very worried about this.”
