National industrial action will have significant impact across the UL and South/South West Hospital Groups today.
It involves 2,100 medical scientists, who are picketing over pay and career development issues.
They’re refusing to carry out routine lab services from 8am to 8pm today.
The industrial action has led to the cancellation of many inpatient and day-case elective procedures as well as some outpatient appointments scheduled today across Tipperary.
Both Hospitals Groups say they will be directly contacting all patients who will be impacted.
There are exceptions with essential services at UHL including oncology and dialysis, as well as the ED across both groups remaining open.
The Medical Assessment Unit at Nenagh Hospital will be running reduced services with gynaecology services cancelled for the day.
South/South West Hospital Group Statement – Planned Industrial Action by MLSA (Medical Laboratory Scientists Association)
17th May 2022
The South/South West Hospital Group is advising the public that there will be significant disruption and service delays in its hospitals tomorrow, Wednesday, May 18th from 8am-8pm, due to the planned Industrial Action by the MLSA.
The industrial action will lead to the cancellation of many inpatient and day-case elective procedures and hospital outpatient appointments across the country. Routine GP testing services will be suspended for the day and while some limited services will continue wide-scale disruption to patients services cannot be avoided.
For information on cancelled procedures, please visit www.hse.ie/disruptions
The South/South West Hospital Group is requesting that members of the general public only attend at Emergency Departments if absolutely necessary. Management at South/South West Hospital Group would like to remind the general public that they should explore all other options available to them prior to attending an Emergency Department.
Emergency Departments will continue as always to prioritise the treatment of the sickest and most urgent patients
Hospitals in the South South West Hospital Group have been contacting patients directly to cancel appointments. As this is a developing situation the South South West Hospital Group is asking patients not to phone hospitals at this time.
Hospitals will provide further clarity as soon as possible and information from all hospitals is available on www.hse.ie/disruptions
Appointments and procedures disrupted by the strikes will be rescheduled as soon as possible.
UL Hospitals Group Statement – May 17th, 2022
Planned Industrial Action by Medical Laboratory Scientists Association (MLSA) this Wednesday
National action will have significant impact across UL Hospitals Group
UL Hospitals Group is preparing for significant disruption and service delays across its six hospital sites tomorrow, Wednesday May 18th from 8am to 8pm, due to planned nationwide industrial action by members of the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association (MLSA).
The industrial action has led to the cancellation of many inpatient and day-case elective procedures as well as some outpatient appointments scheduled for this Wednesday in the Midwest and across the country. UL Hospitals Group has been directly contacting all patients who will be impacted.
Outpatient appointments that do not require bloods to be taken are going ahead, and anyone who has an appointment for Wednesday and who has not been contacted should attend as scheduled. Details of the cancellation of services across the country, hospital by hospital, will be constantly updated on the HSE website at Hospital disruptions due to MLSA industrial action – HSE.ie
Essential services at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), including oncology and dialysis, will remain open. The hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) will also remain open, but we anticipate that patients with non-urgent care needs are likely to experience significant delays in service.
Impacted services at UHL include some elective surgeries, bronchoscopies, endoscopies, and Warfarin clinics.
The Medical Assessment Units at Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s Hospitals will be running as reduced services, while Injury Units at those hospitals will be open as normal. Some elective surgeries will be cancelled, as will endoscopies, on all three sites. In addition, Gynaecology services at Nenagh Hospital will be cancelled for the day.
The day of industrial action has also led to the cancellation of some elective surgeries scheduled for Wednesday at Croom Orthopaedic Hospital.
Elective surgery is being cancelled at University Maternity Hospital Limerick (UMHL). However, the emergency maternity unit and neonatal emergency department services will continue, as will labour ward services, and most antenatal appointments will go ahead.
As efforts continue at national level to try and avert the industrial action, UL Hospitals Group has been working with the MLSA locally to ensure that arrangements are in place this Wednesday to safely provide the curtailed range of services.
While patients with less urgent conditions attending the Emergency Department at UHL can expect delays in service this Wednesday, we wish to reassure the public that the department will be open, and that the sickest and most urgent cases will be prioritised for treatment.
We regret the impact of these arrangements on patients attending our hospitals and we will work to reschedule appointments for all affected patients at the earliest possible opportunity.
